Cowboys and Ladies
by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: After years of being a widow, Victoria finds herself being courted by their long time foreman. Along the way, they find themselves protecting an orphan boy from greedy men. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A/N I've wanted to write as story on Victoria for a LONG time only...nothing would ever come until now. This is set in the same AU as Jarrod/Georgia. The plot bunny started yelling at me in the last chapter of that story.

The wind was just beginning to pick up, when Victoria walked out of the house and headed towards the barn and the wagon that McColl had just finished getting ready for her. She was carrying a few boxes in her arms; boxes that were meant for the orphans. When McColl saw how many boxes Mrs. Barkley was carrying, he hurried to help her. Though, he wasn't surprised when she balked at the help. Truth be told if she hadn't he would have checked her temperature. However, when she about dropped one of the packages, he was he successful in getting her to accept his help.

"Thank you," Victoria smiled as their long time foreman sat the box she'd almost dropped in the back of the wagon. "I didn't realize that one was beginning to slip."

"No problem," McColl smiled, biting his tongue to keep from saying anything else. It didn't do any good though, his eyes betrayed him, and Victoria smiled.

"I know, if I weren't so bent and doing it myself, I'd have known it." She smiled at McColl who chuckled, and then allowed him to help her into the wagon.

The good father had approached McColl the week before and asked him if he had some time to spare to help with repairs. Victoria also took the opportunity to deliver the packages her and Audra had put together. Within moments of Victoria sitting down McColl was sitting next to her and had the reins in his hands.

As the wagon pulled away from the house, Georgia, who was sitting in her chair with one year old Zebulon on her lap, looked away from her son. She frowned slightly when Jarrod, who was taking a small break from some work in his study, muttered something inaudible underneath his breath. However, it didn't really surprise Georgia at all. Jarrod was having quite the struggle with the idea that McColl was actually courting his mother. "What is the problem? You know McColl well enough to know he'd never do anything to purposely hurt your mother. Besides, they're only going to the orphanage to help the good father."

Jarrod felt like a child being chastised by its mother. He might have tried to defend his reaction only his wife was right. He did know McColl well enough to know that the man could be trusted. "I don't know; it just seems so strange is all. I mean," he paused and then said, "She's my mother!"

Georgia couldn't help it... she started laughing and laughing hard. Though, she did manage to ask, "What? When a woman becomes a mother she's supposed to stop living?" The 'oh get real' look that came upon her husband's face only made her laugh harder and, even though he was too young to understand why his mother was laughing, young Zebulon started giggling also.

"Oh, not you too!" Jarrod started grinning and took his son, who had stretched out his arms, from Georgia and held him close. The child started playing with the chain that was attached to his father's pocket watch. Jarrod then looked at the wagon which was disappearing from view and sat down in one of the porch chairs near Georgia, while Zebulon continued playing with the chain.

"She'll be fine, Jarrod. She's a strong willed woman who, if a person has a lick of sense to them, one does not cross. McColl knows that better than anyone on this ranch. That is, anyone that isn't actually family." Georgia said, not knowing whether to try to have more patience with her husband or take a two by four to his thick skull.

Jarrod sighed and nodded. "I guess I know that, just can't help seeing her with father all those years and then, after he was gone…" he hesitated to finish his train of thought, afraid Georgia might read something into his words that weren't there. He needn't have worried as she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"With you being a 'widower', your mother and you shared more of a common bond than the rest of your family." Georgia held out her hand and laid it on Jarrod's arm. Her sympathy for his feelings showed in her eyes as she spoke. "It's natural to be concerned for her, Jarrod. However, you don't need to dwell on it. She's a good woman and can take care of herself." She told him as her eyes lit up when their young son looked at his parents and let out a giggle.

"How come I get the feeling he knows something we don't?" Jarrod asked as he laughed and put his son, who was struggling to get off his lap, down upon the grass. Once down, the young child started wobbling around the yard, falling more than once only to get stand back up.

"I'm sure he does." Georgia answered. She and Jarrod then changed subjects and started discussing other matters.

~oOo~

While Georgia and Jarrod talked, Nick was standing alongside the barn doing his own thinking. Like Jarrod, he'd grown accustomed to their mother being just that, their mother. However, he was also fully aware how long McColl had really been looking at his mother as a prospective wife. For that matter, after realizing just how interested McColl was in his mother, it was Nick that had encouraged McColl to speak up and say something in the first place. Still, as he thought on it, Nick couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing when he encouraged their foreman. After all, if things didn't work out between the two, his mother could wind up with a broken heart. If that happened, would she be able to stand McColl continuing to work around the ranch the way he had in the past? Nick walked around the corner of the barn and headed for the stable. Having done what chores he had to Nick figured a long ride would give him some time to clear his head. After all, having been the one to push McColl, he didn't feel like had the right to interfere now. No, all he could do now was pray for the best, and take that ride. It didn't take Nick long to saddle Coco and head out on the ride.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

There had to be at least a dozen children outside the orphanage when McColl and Victoria pulled up in the wagon. Some were sitting in the shade reading, while others were running around playing a very loud game of tag. However, every head came up at the sound of the wagon wheels. The moment the children saw who it was, "Mrs. Barkley!" and "Mr. McColl!" resounded throughout the orphanage's yard. Father James walked out of the building when he heard the children's cries of delight. He waited until both his visitors were out of the wagon before he spoke. "Hello, Victoria, McColl," the friendly priest smiled as Victoria and McColl walked towards him loaded with the boxes they'd brought with them.

"Hello," Victoria and McColl both answered at the same time.

After following the good father inside the building, the two put the boxes in the back room where Victoria and the good father started unpacking the items. While Father James and Victoria were busy with the boxes, McColl made his way outside and up on the roof to do some the repairs that needed doing. The jobs McColl was doing for the orphanage were jobs that Heath had done in the past. However, Heath had injured his leg and Father James wanted Heath to have plenty of time to heal properly before he, Father James, had him to do anything else. Since McColl was more than willing to step in, everything had worked out fine.

When McColl heard small footsteps behind him, he turned his head and smiled. One of the young boys, a ten year old red head by the name of William Thayer, now knelt beside him. "May I help, Mr. Duke?" The child, who had somewhat of a learning problem, never called him by the last name of McColl, but insisted on addressing by the term of Mister. It made McColl chuckle every time the child addressed him, though he made sure he kept a straight face. He didn't want to hurt the child's feelings.

"Sure you can," McColl picked up the small bag of nails he'd brought up with him and handed it to the young boy. "When I need a nail, you can hand me one."

The child's face lit up and he eagerly took the small brown bag that 'the cowboy', as the other children called Duke McColl, handed him. He then watched as the older man began moving the shingles around and handed him nails as he needed it. After a few minutes, the young boy surprised him when he piped up and said, "Father James said I could have a birthday party next week. Will you come?"

The fact that William would want him at his birthday party flattered McColl and he would have said yes in a heartbeat, only he knew he'd be busy on the ranch. That being the case, he apologized and told him he had other commitments to keep.

"You think if I ask real polite like Mrs. Barkley would come?" asked young William.

McColl didn't even try to hide his smile at that one. William was definitely different than many children he'd known through the years. "Well, I'd say that's something you'd have to ask her, though I'm pretty sure she'll say yes if she's able to."

William gazed down at the children playing in the yard. When he saw Victoria and the good priest walk out into the yard, he sat the nails down and looked at McColl. "Will you be okay if I go talk to her right now?"

It was all McColl could do not to bust up laughing at the serious look that had come upon the young's mans' face as he asked the question. It was even harder to answer the lad, only McColl managed to do it. "I'll be fine. Go ahead and leave." Only after the young boy disappeared down the ladder did McColl start chuckling as he said softly, "If I'm so old I can't handle a hammer and nail by myself then I need to be buried, and I'm not that old yet!" He then went back to chuckling as he continued with the work in front of him.

** ~oOo~**

"Would I be okay?" McColl and Victoria were both roaring with laughter as they traveled down the road that led away from the orphanage. They were talking about William and all the help he'd given McColl. "How old does he think I am?"

"Do you want me to answer that?" Victoria couldn't help but laugh even louder as she asked the question. It's not like the young child, who was sincere in his desire to help, hadn't offered his help to her as well. While she had accepted the aid, Victoria had politely helped the child to see that white hair didn't mean one had lost their ability to do things by themselves either.

McColl shook his head. "Not really," he chuckled and then let silence rein for a bit before he said, "The boy's so eager to help and so polite. I'm surprised he doesn't have more friends at the orphanage." He felt bad about that one, though he didn't know what he could do about it either, other than be friendly to him.

"I'm not." Victoria replied after a few minutes of thinking. "He's a talkative one and more than a bit eager to help. From what Father James told me, the young boy's already had a hard life. I fear he might actually be trying to get acceptance without realizing it."

McColl didn't have to be told how hard of a life William had had so far. That's one thing that he and the boy had discovered earlier on; they shared a hard life. The biggest difference though was McColl had had a wonderful aunt and uncle to take him in when his parents had passed away. It was too bad William didn't have someone like that to take him in when his mother had died. If only the child's father hadn't up and disappeared before he was born, things might have been different. Though, not seeing where he could help on that one, McColl changed the subject.

"I don't think Jarrod's very happy that I'm seeing you as much as I am." He said as he thought on the looks that Jarrod's eyes had been sending him the past few weeks.

At the mention of Jarrod and the messages he had been sending the past little while; that is, all the non verbal messages he'd sent, Victoria stiffened and spoke in the tone she always used when something upset her even in the least bit. "Jarrod is a full grown man who needs to accept his mother is more than capable of making her own decisions, even in the matter of who she sees and who she doesn't!" She then softened her tone. "I know he means well, only I'm tired of this. Every time I so much as look at a man, the mother hen in my oldest appears."

McColl shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I can't say I rightly blame him. He's got a fine lady for a mother; he just wants to protect you."

Victoria turned her face away for a few seconds, to hide the fact that she was blushing, before she turned her eyes back to the road in front of them, her head held high. "Thank you, but I don't need protecting."

McColl starting smiling wide as he remembered all the times Victoria had stood next to Tom and then her family as they grew older. It was a fact he was more than willing to acknowledge. "You sure do know how to stand your ground."

The statement earned him a smile from Victoria. Afterwards, the two slipped into silence, their minds on things that they needed to get done once they got back to the ranch only to have their thoughts interrupted as they heard a horse behind them and heard young William's voice calling to them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

McColl walked around inside the burnt down orphanage while Victoria stood in the yard with the seven boys and girls who had lived there full time surrounding her, all were looking to her for comfort. Both she and McColl had been more than appalled when William had stopped them crying over and over saying how 'we were playing behind the church when we heard horses' and 'Father James said to stay where we were'. William told them how he and the other children could hear the men yelling at the good father. Because the boys and girls had been afraid, they'd snuck into the church and hidden in the room just below the belfry of the building. William said they heard someone fire a gun, but only when they heard the men riding away and smelled smoke did they venture out of the room.

"Who would do this?" Victoria asked; the fact that she was more than upset could be heard in her angry voice and fiery eyes.

"I don't know." McColl said, as he made sure the late father, who had been shot by the men, was covered up. "But I need to get him buried. After that," McColl said as he looked at the children who were all staring at with frightened eyes and then at Victoria, "I suggest we take these children back to the ranch, and then I'll go talk to the sheriff." He made sure the statement did not come out sounding like an order or that he was pushing her out of the picture. Not only did he know that would have been useless, he had far too much respect and love for her to do such a thing.

Victoria nodded. She couldn't have agreed more. The fact that the lawman would have to talk to the children was something she figured could come out later and, with the look McColl had sent her after he made the suggestion; she knew he felt the same way. Neither one of them wanted to traumatize the boys and girls any more than they'd already been.

"Do what you have to." Victoria steered the children over towards a small clump of trees and had them sit down; she did the same.

"What's going to happen to us?" "Are those men coming back?" "Why did they kill Father James and why did burn our home?" These were just a few of the many questions Victoria found herself dealing with while McColl dug a grave behind the church that stood near the now unusable orphanage. After he had the grave dug, McColl had managed to scrounge up use what scrap wood there was lying around to make a makeshift coffin until something else could be done and actually buried the good priest, it was almost dark.

"We'll have to make beds inside the church." Victoria said as she and the children watched McColl throw the last bit of dirt upon the newly dug grave. "And, unless I'm mistaken, there should be little food in the church's kitchen. That, and what little food we brought with us for our return trip, should make a nice dinner for these children."

Before McColl even had a chance to reply young William was by his side, clinging to his arm. It made McColl both smile and cry inside. No child should have to go through this. "Mrs. Barkley is right." McColl looked at the children who were looking at him as if waiting as to see if the only two adults present would say the same thing. "Come on," He took William's hand off his arm and pointed towards the young children. "We need your help with the younger children."

"Yes, sir!" William squared his shoulders and began helping the younger children, making sure they headed towards the church. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, McColl and Victoria might have starting laughing at how funny William looked as he strutted towards the church. No, they could laugh about that part later, when the whole nightmare was over.

~oOo~

"Standing there and staring into space isn't going to bring her home any faster." Georgia, who had made sure Zebulon was asleep in his room, wheeled herself up alongside her husband. Victoria and McColl had had both said he'd drop her off at their house after they returned from the trip to the orphanage, but had they not shown up yet. Georgia knew how worried Jarrod was and, to be honest, she was quite concerned as well. The only problem was she didn't know what they could do until the morning. That is, if her mother in law didn't show up by then.

"Where are they?" Jarrod asked, his concern and fear was something that he did not even attempt to hide. It wasn't like his mother or McColl to give their word on something and then simply to break it.

Georgia went to open her mouth to reply only to hear, through the slightly opened window, the sound of a rider approaching the house. She might have thought McColl and her mother in law had finally shown up only the sound was of one horse, not a team and wagon.

Jarrod, who had leant in towards the window, bolted for the door when he realized it was Nick who was riding up to the house, and that the man wasn't exactly letting grass grow underneath his feet as he did so. Georgia wasn't all that far behind her husband.

"Nick!" Jarrod said as he stepped out onto the porch with Georgia appearing beside him shortly afterwards. "What is going on? Where is mother?"

Nick, who had practically flown up the ramp that led his older brother's home, felt his heart skip a beat. Those questions were exactly what he did not want to hear. "I was hoping to find her and McColl here."

Surprise, and great worry, appeared on both Jarrod's and Georgia's faces. "They're not here; they've never arrived." Jarrod told his brother.

"I was afraid of that." Nick, who was resting the back of his hands on his hips, said, "Something's got to have happened. They said they'd be home by dark, and they're not!"

Jarrod glanced back towards the house. He couldn't see any reason to head out this late at night. After all, it's not like they had the best of light to travel by. "Do you want me to get my gun? We could get Heath and leave within the next hour."

Nick wanted to do that more than anything only, like Jarrod, he was fully aware they needed more light. "If you don't hear from me by six in the morning," Nick answered, "head over to the house. I'll be waiting." He then turned around saying he best get home before Heath had to worry about him also.

"They'll be all right." Georgia reached up and took a hold of her husband's arm. "You'll see."

Jarrod turned his head and did his best to smile down at his wife. She always did her best to remain positive. He just prayed she was right. His mother and McColl just had to be all right.

A/N For those of you who may wonder why McColl didn't just go get the sheriff and then bury the priest...the orphanage and church moved locations on me. That will be clarified in the next chapter since I refuse tor rewrite this one.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N My apologies, due to questions asked me privately, I realized I failed to clarify the fact that McColl and Victoria were not taking a trip that lasted only a couple of hours . I know the orphanage was supposed to be close by (or at least I always got the impression it was) only…the muse moved it. As you will see in the first paragraph, the orphanage and church they were helping at took more than a couple of hours to get too. Once again, I'm sorry for failing to clarify that one.

**Chapter Four**

Audra was standing by the living room window, while Heath was standing in front of the empty fireplace when the front door opened. Audra practically ran to Nick once he'd shut the door. "Where's mother? Where's McColl?" Pure fear showed in her eyes. Their trip was only supposed to be a two day trip, nothing else.

Nick groaned inwardly. He had hoped Audra, who had the misfortune of losing her husband Carl the year before during a stampede while on a cattle drive, had simply gone to bed as he'd asked her too. Well, at least he was relieved to see that his young nephew, Adam Carl Wheeler, was in bed. "They're not home yet." He answered as he looked at Heath, who had moved away from the fireplace. "If I haven't sent word to Jarrod that they've arrived here by six, he'll come over and join the search party."

Heath didn't like what he'd heard. Like the rest of the family he knew how dependable both his stepmother and McColl were. "I'll be ready to join the search." Then, due to the look in their sister's eyes, Heath added, "Don't even think of it sis. You need to stay here with Adam Carl." For whatever reason, Heath seemed to have a habit of calling his young nephew by his full name.

"I'm sure Georgia will need your company too, she's just as concerned." Nick spoke up as he glanced towards the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. "And I'm sure Adam would love playing with Zebulon again." The cousins might be a year apart in age only, when they were in the same room, the two were inseparable.

Heath agreed and then headed up the stairs. He was tired and morning would come too early.

"She'll be okay, sis." Nick did his best to sound sure of himself. After all, he didn't need his sister, who was still in mourning for her late husband, too feel any more stressed that she already was. For that matter, he had to think positive or he just might lose it himself.

"She has to." Audra sat down on the sofa and sighed. "I never told her how sorry I was."

Nick was puzzled. What on earth did Audra have to say sorry to their mother for? Audra had been nothing but a huge help from what he could see. "What do you need to apologize to mother for. What happened?"

"Nothing major only; well," Audra sighed as her shoulders slumped forward ever so slightly. "I haven't exactly been very supportive of her and McColl seeing each other. Oh, I haven't said anything bad, just haven't really backed her up on it. I…I was jealous and….more than a bit afraid for her."

Nick didn't have to ask what his sister had been afraid of. Ever since Carl had been killed in the stampede the year before, Audra had been jumpy anytime anyone went away and did not come home on time. The family hadn't said much to Audra for the simple fact they didn't know what to say. Stampedes happened; maybe not often, still they happened. In all the years their father was alive, or they'd been ranching, they'd only had a few stampedes and they'd been blessed not to have lost anyone. Carl's death had been a stark reminder to everyone just what risks they took when moving the cattle. As far as other trips away from the ranch, those couldn't be stopped either.

"Like I said," Nick put his hand upon his sister's shoulder, "Mother will be fine; they both will. Now, why don't you get to bed? Adam doesn't exactly believe in sleeping in."

Audra chuckled as she stood up and hugged her blond haired brother. "No, he doesn't. Night Nick," she the then let go and headed up to her room leaving Nick alone with his thoughts as he too slowly made it to his room.

**~oOo~**

The night wind was blowing something fierce as Victoria made her way through the inside of the church. The fact that McColl had gone around making sure any door, or window, to the church was shut tight did not pass her by. It made her nervous, though she did not show it. She couldn't guarantee the children who were finally sleeping might wake up and see her concern.

Victoria walked up to McColl, who was standing off to the side of a window, making sure he had the protection of the wall and yet could still see outside. Victoria positioned herself on the other side of the window. "You think they'll come back?" She asked, not being able to see any other reason for McColl's actions.

"I don't know." McColl shook his head. "I'm just trying to make sense of this. Why shoot the father, why set the orphanage on fire and yet take off without doing what they could to locate the witnesses?" Due to the look of horror that appeared on Victoria's face, he quickly added as he waved his left hand through the air, "Not that I'm not extremely grateful they didn't, I am. Those poor children have definitely done nothing to deserve any of this. I'm just trying to understand." He then let out a slow, somewhat disgusted laugh and said quietly, "I wonder if I'll ever understand the kind of people who would do something like this."

"I know I won't." Victoria too sighed as she looked out the window. She gazed up at the few stars that were shining that night, and couldn't help but think back to the days she and Tom had first come to the valley. They'd spent so many nights under the stars. "Beguiling isn't it? Such a quiet, peaceful night, and we have such a mess on our hands." She couldn't help but stare as McColl started laughing. After he finally quit, Victoria asked quite sharply for him to explain what was so funny.

"Don't you remember?" McColl asked her as he kept his eyes wide open. "More than once Tom, you or I would, basically, say the same thing at the close of the day. I mean, the day's work was over and there was hardly a sound to be heard, yet," McColl said as he turned his head and looked at her, "We'd have some situation on our hands that we knew full well we'd have to face in the morning. It seems as if history's repeating itself."

Victoria stiffened ever so slightly and then sighed; she remembered. She just wished she understood why this had happened. However, McColl was right. They had to deal with the situation they had on their hands. "I think we best get some rest. First thing early in the morning we can look around and see if we can find anything that might tell us who the men were and what they wanted."

When Victoria said 'early', McColl meant as early as four or five. He lay down hear the window and wondered why people said they didn't know where Nick got his spunk from. If those same people had asked him, he could have easily given them the answer. It made him admire her even more than he already did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It was four thirty in the morning, and McColl stood in the late father's office. He had been looking through the bookshelf and was now searching the simple wooden desk the priest had used, while Victoria stood by the same window he had been by the night before. One of the children had let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead, causing both McColl and Victoria to jump a hundred feet in the air. When it became apparent the child was simply having a nightmare, Victoria had calmed the little one down and then promised she'd personally keep guard by the window. McColl would have preferred to be the one guarding the window and said so. The two had argued and finally agreed that they would take turns either guarding the window or searching for anything that might give them a clue to as to motivation behind the unknown men's invasion and actions.

"Mrs. Barkley?" ten year old William surprised Victoria when he walked up to her; she was standing to the side of the window. He made sure he too stayed away from the front of the window.

It tore at Victoria's heart to see the fear in the young boy's eyes, even if he was doing his best to hide it. "Yes, William, what is it?"

"Are those bad men coming back?" The young boy glanced around the room and then back at Victoria.

"I don't know." Victoria gave the lad a compassionate smile. "I don't know." _"We were behind the church..."_ William's first words came back to her and hit her full force as she answered him. Behind? Victoria knelt down in front of the boy and asked, "Just when did you see those men coming, and when did you hide?"

William thought for a moment and then said, "We didn't see them when they first got here. We heard them. Father James looked around the corner and then made us stay behind the church while he went to talk to them. He told us to be quiet as church mice. When we heard them yelling and realized they were going towards the orphanage, we got scared and slipped into the church using the back door."

The wheels in Victoria's mind were turning faster than she thought possible. "So, when did you first see them?"

"When I looked out the upstairs window," William answered. "The others wanted to know what was going on, but they were too scared to look."

"Do those men know you saw them, William?" Victoria asked, although she pretty well knew the answer.

"I don't think so, ma'am." William fidgeted, not wanting to admit he'd been just as scared as the rest of the children. "I made sure I was only peaking out the window, not standing right in front of it."

Victoria frowned and then asked, "Do you know if they ever came into the church?"

"I think so." William admitted. "After we had shut the door to the room below the belfry? We heard footsteps for a little bit, but then they stopped. It was just after that happened that we heard all the yelling, heard the shots and then smelled the smoke."

Victoria's heart skipped a beat as she realized the men had barely touched the church, but spent the majority of their time inside the orphanage instead. "McColl!" Victoria shouted louder than Nick ever thought of doing. It made McColl, who was just finishing his search, jump out of his skin and come running.

"What is it, Victoria? Did you see someone out there?" McColl asked as he reached her and looked out the window.

"No, I didn't see a soul; however, if I'm right, I know why Father James was killed. That is, I'm pretty sure I know what those men were after, and I'm guessing Father James refused to help them. If I'm right, they'll be back! We have got to get the wagon loaded and get these children out of here now! Please, hitch up the wagon like yesterday!" She answered as she hurried to wake the other children.

McColl would have demanded to know what was going on only he knew Victoria well enough to know if she said they had to get out in a hurry he'd best listen. With that being the case, he practically flew out the doors. Not twenty minutes later, he and Victoria had all seven children in the back of the wagon were, at Victoria's insistence, racing the wagon away from the church and burnt out orphanage.

~oOo~

"You were a fool!" Paul Alderson, a tall, lanky, brown haired gentleman from Colorado stood around the campfire he and his men had made the night before. "I told you to find one," he said as he held up his pointer finger and thrust it into the chest of the man he had put in charge of 'the job', causing him to move backwards, "one small orphan boy and bring him here! I never told you to kill a priest or to burn the orphanage down! What the Sam Hill were you thinking!" Paul was spitting fire as he threw out one word after another.

"The priest wouldn't tell us where the brat was!" Kyle Jasper, a twenty five year old who must have left his brain in San Francisco, shot back. "Kept telling us how the orphanage was actually empty at the moment." The man sneered and grew angrier, "He was playing me for a fool!" Kyle wasn't about to admit to anyone that the priest was actually an old acquaintance of his who had truly changed his ways and then taken on a new identity and a new life by turning in state evidence against him. Also, Kyle wasn't about to admit he was using the fact that Father James wouldn't tell him where William was as chance to kill the priest and 'even the score' between them. And, no matter what, he wasn't confessing that burning the orphanage was a sick idea of destroying the good man's dreams.

"So you shoot the only man who could tell me where the brat is and then burn a building down?" Paul couldn't believe how stupid one man could be. He had to find the boy or lose out on a lot of money! He never should have taken Kyle on. "We've got to go back. If the priest was lying, as you seem to think he was, and none one else was around like you claim, then those children had to be hiding in the church. And, if that's the case, they have to still be there!" The fact that Kyle had admitted they'd barely walked through the church instead of searching it was another thing that made Paul shook his head.

"Should we mount up now?" John, the youngest of the group, a twenty-three year old from Ohio, spoke up only to get a disbelieving look from Paul.

"After I finish my coffee!" Paul shook his head, picked his cup back up and let out a few choice words.

"Yes, sir." Resounded in the air, not one of his men dared argue with the man.


	6. Chapter 6

**CChapter Six**

The seven children with Victoria and McColl laid down on the floor of an old shack they'd been fortunate to be near when an unexpected rain storm hit. They'd also been fortunate enough of to find a couple of large blankets which the children were more than happy to share. With that being the case, the three boys shared one blanket, while the four small girls shared the other. McColl sat in a chair that sat against the wall, but close enough to the window to be able to see out of it without being seen, while Victoria sat in the only other chair available on the other side of the window.

"I'd say it's coming down in bucketfuls." McColl said as he watched the rain coming down rather hard and heavy, thankful there had been a cluster of trees nearby. If there hadn't been, McColl didn't know what he'd have done with the horses and wagon.

"I'd say so," Victoria smiled, agreed and then let her smile disappear as she began talking more seriously. "I just know the children, or at least one of them, is what the men were looking for. Of course, I don't know why unless one of them is the father." It was a notion she quickly dismissed, as the moment she made the suggestion Victoria had a strong impression that was not the reason. "Though, why burn down the orphanage? It doesn't make sense." The whole time she was speaking Victoria made sure she spoke quietly so as to avoid one of the children hearing her, if they should happen to wake up.

"Some things in life don't make sense, Victoria. You and I have been around the block enough times to know that. However," McColl spoke quietly as he leaned back and folded his arms, "If they'd spent the majority of the time in the orphanage, I would have to agree with you when it came to the children. We've got to get them back to the ranch and then, maybe, have the sheriff talk to them. Though," McColl quickly added, due to a look of grave concern that appeared on Victoria's face, "Maybe we can ask Fred if it would be okay for him to keep his badge hidden while he talked to the children."

Before she had a chance to make a verbal agreement to McColl's suggestion, a huge clap of thunder rolled through the shack and two of the children, five year old Mary and six year old Daniel rose three feet in the air and flew through towards the adults. Mary landed on Victoria's lap while Daniel flew onto McColl's; both children had their arms wrapped around Victoria and McColl's neck. McColl couldn't help but roar with laughter as he patted Daniel's head and told him everything would be all right.

"It's not very nice laughing at the children; they're scared stiff." Victoria reprimanded him only to have McColl laugh harder.

"I wasn't laughing at them." He told her as his eyes continued laughing. "Think back to when Gene and Audra were little, back before Tom was murdered. Doesn't this bring back a memory for you?" He raised his one eyebrow and looked at her as if to say, "Tell me you haven't forgotten."

Victoria sat back in the chair and looked down at Mary and then over at Daniel. It took a moment only soon she too had a grin as wide as the Pacific Ocean on her face. "Tom's last birthday! We went with the children down to the pond that sits near the north pasture. You showed up later with the presents I'd asked you to pick up in town only to have an unexpected rain storm hit!" She joined in McColl's laughter as she recalled how they'd all scrambled for cover in an old shack that would later be torn down. "Jarrod and Nick took refuge near Tom due to better covering overhead, but Gene, who was closer to you, flew onto your lap while Audra climbed up onto mine." She sighed and shook her head as she looked at McColl. "That's been a few years ago; I'm surprised you even remembered it."

"I remember a lot of things." McColl turned his eyes towards the rain as a faraway look came into his eyes, "including the day Tom hired me on to be one of his ranch hands and the day he made me foreman. I'd never felt more honored in my life." He turned his eyes towards Victoria and said quietly with a somber look upon his face, "Thanks for not insisting he change his mind about giving me the position." However, he couldn't help but start smiling again when Victoria got a rather embarrassed look on her face.

Victoria knew full well he was referring to the fact that he and she had not exactly gotten along for the first few months, due to how loud and obnoxious he could get. "Tom trusted you, and that was good enough for me." Victoria chuckled and smiled at him. "If it makes any difference, Mac, I never felt the need to urge him to let you go." She wasn't surprised when McColl looked away for a few seconds; he'd always gotten a bit uncomfortable when Tom or she complimented him on something. 'Just doing my job' was his standard reply to such compliments. "I think," she broke the silence that had fallen between them; "The moment the rains stops we should head out."

McColl couldn't have agreed more. Staying in one place was the easiest way to be found, and they didn't need whoever had killed Father James to find them if at all possible. Though, he sighed, since he was sure Victoria's family must be worried about her and were probably looking for her by now, all he could do was pray they crossed paths.

The rest of the evening was spent watching the rain, laughing and talking or catching forty winks where they could. Through it all, they found themselves grateful that at least the rain would wash out the tracks left by the wagon. That would at least buy them some time if by chance the men who had attacked Father James had indeed returned to the church.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Not a sound rang through the air, as Jarrod, Nick, Heath and the men who rode with them, reached the orphanage and the church that sat not far from it. The storm had delayed their search, and they were chomping at the bit to find Victoria and McColl. To say that they sat in their saddles stunned beyond measure at the site that met their eyes would have been the understatement of the year. After what seemed an eternity, the group dismounted and began walking through the stumble of the orphanage, afraid of what they'd find, or through the church. Their shock turned to confusion when they turned over one stone after another and found nothing; that is, until Nick started hollering from behind the church. All the men ran towards the dark haired rancher's voice.

"Who is it?" Jarrod, his heart racing, asked as he rounded the corner of the church and saw Nick kneeling in front of a newly dug grave, his hat in his hands. The fear that his brother might very well be kneeling in front of their mother's grave could be heard in his voice. It was a fear that was quickly quenched when Nick answered him.

"Father James," Nick answered, his voice shook slightly. "I am going to assume McColl and mother buried him." He looked up and surveyed the area around him. Then, with grave concern on his face, he looked at Jarrod, Heath and the other men and said, "The question is where are they and the children?" By the tone in his voice everyone knew he feared what they might have found in the burnt down building.

"We don't know." Heath, who was leaning against the outside wall of the church, spoke up. "But everyone else at least left here alive; there's no bodies in the orphanage."

Nick let out a sigh of relief, as he stood up and put his hat back on. If no bodies were lying around then that meant Heath was right, only if that was the case, why hadn't he and the search party came across them on the road? Looking up at the sky, Nick growled out of frustration. It looked as if it was going to rain again. "We've got to split up and search for them." Nick spoke loudly, even if a few men took a step backwards. He was going to make sure each and every one of them heard every word he said. "Empty shacks and small cabins are all through this area. With the rain storm that has hit, my guess is they took cover in one of them!" Nick paused and looked at his brothers; they nodded in agreement, as did the men with them. "From what I can see," Nick said as he glanced up at the sky again, "It looks like another storm's coming! I suggest we search each and every one of them as we look for my mother, McColl and the children!"

Jarrod, who stood not two feet from Nick, rubbed his ears and shot his brother a soft glare. However, he gave his hot tempered brother no form of rebuke. How could he when he was just as worried and anxious as Nick? "I'll take some men and head north." He turned, chose a few men, and then headed for Jingo who was tethered to a nearby hitching post.

Heath put his hat on and gave Nick a solemn nod. "I'll take whoever wants to go with me and head south." By the time he reached his horse Heath had four men with him. Nick took the remaining three and headed east.

**~oOo~**

Not an hour after the three brothers and the men had left to continue their search, Paul Alderson and his men rode onto the scene. At first glance Paul wondered if the man named Kyle Jasper was right; that is, until he dismounted and walked over to the burnt out building. One look at the overturned stones, and no sign of the priest's body around, and he knew someone had made it to the orphanage before he and his men. He turned on the black haired Kyle and began turning the sky blue with the swear words that were coming out of his mouth, especially when the one Mexican who rode with him came running up and telling him about the grave. After that they searched the church inside and out. "I don't know if the priest was lying about the children or not!" Paul turned around once he'd stepped outside the church and practically got into Kyle's face. "What I do know is that, thanks to your incompetence, someone knows the priest was murdered! Are you sure," he hissed as he thrust his finger into the long, brown haired gentleman's chest, "that no one saw you?"

"As far as we could tell," Kyle said as he did his best to hide the fear he felt from the man before him, "the man was completely alone!"

Paul didn't like it, but there was nothing he could do about it either. Not knowing about the search parties Nick, Heath and Jarrod were leading, he gave orders that his men look for any tracks that they could follow.

As they remounted their horses and began searching, Kyle, who was fed up with Paul's stubbornness on the matter of 'the kid', turned on Paul. "Why are you so bent on finding that brat anyway? He's only ten! It's not like he can help us."

Paul fought to keep his hands on the reins when he really wanted to hit Kyle. It was that or take a chance of spooking the horses. "Oh, but he can help is; just wait and see!" The honest truth is Paul Alderson had never cared one way or the other about boy named William and, if it weren't for a bit of information he'd only recently received, he' still not be interested.

"Boss," Carlos, the twenty nine year old Mexican who rode with Paul, rode up to him. "There's tracks of multiple horses going in three different directions. I don't know if they belong people looking for 'whoever killed the priest or what."

Paul scowled; he'd been so close to grabbing the brat. Now he was back to square one trying to find him. If only he knew what the lad looked like; as it was, all he had was a name. "Let's split up and follow those tracks for an hour, see what we can find. Then, with or without the boy, meet back at camp!" He waved his hand through the air as he turned his horse around and rode away from the church.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The moment the first storm ceased McColl and Victoria had loaded the children into the wagon and headed out once more, grateful they all had at least light jackets and the blankets they'd found. Alas, due to the somewhat muddy roads they did not make it as far as they'd have liked, before they heard the rumblings of the second storm. "There's a cabin up there." McColl pointed off to his right. "I'm heading there. If we're lucky, someone lives there. I just hope they let us stay."

Victoria knew what he was not saying. He hoped there were people and that they'd at least share what food they had with the children as any food they'd had with them had all been eaten that morning. As they turned onto the path that led up to the cabin, it was Victoria's turn to start laughing. "What's so funny?" McColl asked, although he was pretty sure he knew as he remembered almost every trip he'd made with Victoria and Tom, along with the ones that Tom had asked him to ride shotgun with Victoria, even if she did know how to stand her ground. Of course, Tom and McColl had never told Victoria that's why McColl was accompanying her. The two men had always had some other reason, though McColl knew that Victoria had figured it all out fast enough, even if she did keep her mouth shut for Tom's peace of mind.

"Just remembering that Tom, I and the boys were supposed to go visit Uncle Samuel while he, Tom, took care of some lumber business. Only," she said as she chuckled even harder, "he had some urgent mining business come up and he asked you to accompany us and look into the lumber business deal."

McColl laughed and scoffed, "I don't know what that man," he said referring to Uncle Samuel's offering to take the family out to eat, "was thinking. When you tell two boys their free to order all they can eat, their goin' do just that! Especially if they're both hit puberty!" He didn't figure it was necessary to state the uncle had stuck to feeding them at his home for the rest of their visit.

Victoria and McColl continued chuckling softly until they reached the cabin. "Why don't you stay with the children while I go see if we can even stay? I mean," he said as he finished climbing down from the wagon, "No sense of us all getting out when we might very well have to simply climb back in."

Victoria knew what he was really saying; he wanted to make sure the place was safe. "All right, but please, hurry." She looked up at the sky; it was getting ugly again. Only when it came apparent no one was going to answer McColl's knocks at the door did she turn her attention away from the sky.

"Come on children," Victoria climbed down from the wagon as McColl opened the door and peered inside. The first room he saw was the living room. Off to his right looked to be a bedroom with a bed that looked older than the hills; the kitchen lay on the other side of the living room. There were a few pots and pans, but they too looked rather old. The walls were bare and only one window had curtains hanging in front of them. There were a few logs of wood in the corner near the fireplace, but not enough to make one think anyone was currently living there. McColl shook his head as he propped the door open and helped the Victoria get the children inside.

"I'm going to look around outside and see if there's anywhere to tether the horses. I'll see what if I can find any more wood too." McColl said once everyone was settled in, though his eyes automatically went to the kitchen. Victoria didn't have to ask what he was wondering.

"I'll look around." Victoria said, glancing from him to the children and then back at him.

McColl nodded, knowing she was really telling him she'd see if anything edible had been left behind. He turned and hurried out the door, after pulling out a few matches out of his pocket and handed them to Victoria. "Mrs. Barkley," Mary, who sat near the empty fireplace hoping Mr. McColl would find something to heat the cabin with, said, "I'm hungry." It was a sentiment echoed by all the children.

Not wanting to alarm the children, Victoria forced herself to be positive as she headed for the kitchen. "I am too. Only, for now, I think we need to be more concerned about warming this place up. William, I've seen you build fires many times. Go into the bedroom and see what, if anything, can be used as kindling. If you do, let me know. I'm going to look around in the kitchen and see what I can find in there."

By the time McColl came in carrying a small load of wood he'd been able to gather, William had a fire going. "Any luck?" he asked after walking up to Victoria, who stood near the stove in the kitchen.

"Two cans of beans and a small can of coffee." Victoria held what little food she'd found up. "I guess we should be grateful there was anything. At least it will be enough to quiet the children's stomachs." She looked at him, her eyes apologizing that he and she would have to go without. That being the case, she was surprised when McColl reached up into his pant pocket and pulled out a hand full of jerky.

"I found it in the 'shed' that stands behind the cabin. It was in a tin can on one of the shelves. Don't know how old it is, but the lid was on tight so I know no rodents could have gotten into it. There's also a barrel half full of water sitting just outside that door." He pointed to the back door that stood a few feet away from the sink. McColl would have added something about the Barkley luck sticking with Victoria only the children started complaining about being hungry again.

"I'll tell you what." McColl handed some of the jerky to Victoria and then walked into the living room where the children sat on the floor. "How about I we tell each other stories, while Mrs. Barkley fixes you something to eat, besides this jerky that I'll split with you." The children let out squeals of delight as McColl divided what little jerky he had with them and began the stories while Victoria found herself smiling at the sight of McColl and the children, though she forced her eyes off the scene as she started cooking the beans. The children needed to eat.

**~oOo~**

A/N I got Uncle Samuel off the episode "Heritage".


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The rain was coming down hard enough to chase Jarrod, Nick and the men with them an old worn down one room shack that looked like it would fall apart any day. The men all had to stay to the left side of the room to stay dry as there were holes in the right side of the roof. However, Jarrod and Nick stood on the porch, grateful that at least the awning had no holes. "Where do you think they are?" Nick asked Jarrod as his older brother and he watched the rain fall.

Jarrod thought on the burnt down orphanage and the priest's grave. Not knowing of the activities of the men who had caused the destruction, all he could do was wonder. "I don't know, but I can't shake the feeling we need to find them soon."

"Me too," Nick replied, not liking the feeling of urgency that continued to press itself upon his mind. While he prayed like crazy the children were all right, Nick found his thoughts turning to their mother and McColl. He knew the struggle Jarrod was having with the idea that their long time foreman and Victoria were seeing each other. "He's not a bad man, Jarrod. You know that." He turned his head and looked at Jarrod, who looked like he was a thousand miles away.

Jarrod sighed and nodded. All the memories he had of McColl came flooding back to him. He realized that for every memory he had of his father, he also had one of McColl. Like Tom, Duke McColl was a hard worker and cared about the family. Unlike Tom, the foreman had never been unfaithful to the wife he had lost two years before Tom Barkley had been killed. "I never said he wasn't." An almost worn out, frustrated sigh could be heard as Jarrod said the words.

Silence fell between the two brothers. Jarrod's mind and heart struggling to accept that, yes, he'd seen signs that McColl and his mother just might be getting serious about each other. On the other hand, Nick's mind went to a scene he'd witnessed, though he had been unseen at the time. It was a memory that told him there was no 'maybe' when it to their foreman and their mother getting serious about each other. Of course, he simply ran the memory through his mind; he didn't want to give Jarrod anything more to struggle with.

_Nick stood in the loft of the barn when he heard the door open. Looking down he saw McColl and his mother walk in; they were laughing and talking like a couple of young school children._

_"I don't know Vic." McColl managed to stop laughing as he leaned up against one of the stalls. "Jarrod might not hate me, but he doesn't exactly cotton to the idea that you and I are seeing each other."_

_Victoria blew her lid. "I've told you before, Duke! Jarrod is a grown man! He can just pull himself up by the boot straps and accept the fact that I have the right to see who I want to!"_

_McColl wrapped his arms around Victoria's waist and chuckled. "You were always were a feisty one." He said something else only Nick didn't hear it as the man had lowered his voice. However, whatever he said must have been a compliment because, for the first time in a long time, Nick saw his mother blush. He saw McColl run his hand down the side of Victoria's face and whisper something else as he began to lower his head. What he had said or if his mother would have allowed their foreman to kiss her was something Nick would never know…as Ciego yelling for McColl had the two quickly stepping apart._

"I think we best get inside." Jarrod jumped and said as lightening hit the ground not ten feet from the shack. Nick did not argue as he followed his brother inside.

**~oOo~**

Nick and Jarrod weren't the only ones to decide that a front porch was a good place to be alone and talk. After the children had eaten and laid down for a rest, Victoria and McColl found their way to the front porch of the cabin they had taken refuge in. With some time finally to themselves, McColl turned and faced Victoria.

If the majority of people had looked at Victoria, they would not have known anything was troubling her. No, all they'd see is a woman soaking in the smell of the rain and relaxing. This was not the case with Duke McColl. Over the years he had worked beside Tom, and then Nick, he had gotten to know Victoria as well as he could…without crossing any lines that is. He knew she was more than afraid what would happen should the men who were looking for the orphans, or at least one of them, would do should if they actually lay their hands on them. As concerned as he was about that, and he w_as greatly_concerned, McColl was even more worried for the Victoria. After all, she was worse than a mother bear protecting her cub when it came to her own children or the orphans she so often helped. Then again, as he thought on it, McColl couldn't help but bust up laughing as he got a picture of the things she might do to the outlaws if they did indeed crossed her path.

"And just what is so funny?" Victoria put her hands on her hips and demanded he give her an explanation. It didn't help his laughter any just for the simple fact he'd seen Nick do the same thing time and time again over the years.

"Just picturing those outlaws' judgment day with you as their judge," McColl answered as he got his laughter under control.

"Oh you," Victoria broke out into a smile and gave him a playful slap on the upper left arm, "I'm not that bad."

"If you say so," McColl laughed and then dodged another playful slap. Before Victoria knew it McColl had her hands in his and holding them just tight enough to make sure she couldn't slap him again. "Once this is over, Vic," He started speaking once he could see she was looking him right in the eyes, "We need to have a serious talk." He paused remembering how close he'd come to kissing her in the barn. He then said, "I mean, seeing you here and there simply courting you just isn't cutting it anymore. I mean, come on, unless we are both under a whole lot of stress, I call you Vic and you call me Mac though I wouldn't mind it if you called me Duke either. It sure doesn't sound like two people who don't know what they want."

Victoria felt her heart skip a beat. The way things had been going between them she had wondered when he'd approach the subject of an engagement…or at least hint at like he was doing now. She felt as if she was sixteen years old all over again. Though, before she could say anything, McColl had his arms wrapped her waist and was lowering his head.

"What if the children come out?" Victoria asked, though the tone in her voice held little objection in it.

"Won't matter," McColl grinned as his lips touched hers, "I'll not do anything that they shouldn't see." He then pulled her closer to him and covered her mouth with his before she could say anything else. However, it was an action Victoria did not fight as she slid her arms around his waist and up his back, allowing herself the pleasure of actually being kissed somewhere besides the forehead or cheek. Only the sound of the door starting to open got the two apart. Then they found themselves with a couple of children to chase back into the shack where they spent the rest of the time waiting out the storm.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The air still held a bit of a bite to it, only it had stopped raining which meant time to get on the road. McColl quickly hitched up the team and then helped Victoria get the children into the back of the wagon. After they'd wrapped the blankets around the children, McColl helped Victoria up.

Moments later, McColl was driving down the road, towards Stockton. Neither McColl nor Victoria relaxed though; both had their eyes wide open while the rifle McColl always took with him on trips laid next to him. He'd also given his pistol to Victoria; she kept it on the seat next to her, hidden in the folds of her skirt, though they both prayed like crazy neither one would have to be used.

While the majority of the children had their attention on either chatting happily with each other or looking at the scenery, William made his way to the front of the wagon and held onto the back of the buckboard. "My grandma never wanted my parents come out here. Mama said grandma gave her both barrels, but she followed him out here anyway. Daddy said grandma didn't like it. He said that grandma said Boston was a good place for a lady to live. My aunt told her to give it up that, for whatever reason, some real good ladies sure took a shine to cowboys. They said a bunch of other stuff, but I didn't hear it. Grandma made me leave the room."

Unaware that William had seen them through the window the night before, neither one knew what had motivated the young man's current conversation. However, McColl turned his head ever so slightly and grinned at Victoria, who shot him a 'don't you dare even go there' look. He turned his face forward again, the whole time he was roaring with laughter as he recalled the early days that he'd worked alongside Tom and the stories he'd heard from both Tom and Victoria. However, both of them sat up straight as William continued talking.

"When I was taken to the orphanage, I asked the man who took me why they didn't just contact my grandparents or my aunt. I told them they'd take me in. I mean, everyone knows my grandmother, Henrietta Hopkins. She and Grandpa Marcus have got tons of money and everything. He wouldn't answer me. Just talked with Father James and then left me at the orphanage." William stopped talking as he, like the others, went to looking at the scenery.

Again McColl and Victoria looked at each other. While they'd never met William's parents, they both knew both Marcus and Henrietta Hopkins. They had both met them years before when she and her husband, an extremely well known businessman, had traveled to California. Marcus Hopkins had wanted to 'talk some sense into Tom' and 'make him see how profitable it would be to work with the railroad instead of against it.' When McColl and Victoria had learned Mrs. Hopkins had died two years ago of consumption, they hadn't exactly shed any tears. They had also heard that Mr. Hopkins had had a massive heart attack and died a couple of months ago.

"You need to go sit down with the other children." McColl told William when they hit a small hole in the road and William almost fell over and onto Victoria's lap.

"Yes, sir," William turned around and did as he was told.

The moment William was again huddled underneath the blanket the boys were sharing, Victoria scooted over closer to McColl and spoke, keeping her voice low. "Jarrod was in Boston last month visiting a friend. When he came back he said all of Boston's 'elite' were in an uproar because 'old man Hopkins' had offered five thousand dollars to whoever could reunite him with his estranged children and grandchild. However, because no one succeeded, in his will the gentleman stated all the money would be saved for them. They've had so many imposters trying to get the money, but none have succeeded."

McColl didn't have to ask what she was getting at. Someone must have learned of the lad's whereabouts and were intent on getting a hold of him and using him to get his hands on the five thousand dollars. The idea made him sick. "The other children will have to go to another orphanage. What do you think about talking to Jarrod and the others and seeing about keeping William on the ranch? At least he'd be safer and Jarrod could explore the aunt as next of Kin," he whispered back.

Before she could answer, Victoria saw a couple of riders coming their way. She automatically held the hidden pistol tighter and turned and looked at the children, especially William. "There are men coming towards us. No matter what they say," she emphasized each and every word she said, "You can either stay sitting up or lie down and act like you're asleep; just don't make a sound. Let Mr. McColl and I do that talking."

All the children nodded and stayed where they were. Except for William, he automatically laid down and turned his face towards the side of the wagon. The tone in Victoria's voice and the way she had looked at him scared him. Something was wrong; he just knew it.

"Hello, folks," Kyle Jasper and the men Paul had sent with him smiled at McColl and Victoria, the whole time scanning the children in the back. It made it so McColl and Victoria were on high alert. "We're sorry to bother you, but we're helping a friend of ours look for his young nephew, William Benson. My friend was told the lad could be at the orphanage only it seems the place had a most unfortunate accident. Would any of these children be William Hopkins?"

Victoria and McColl smiled politely and then swore silently to tell this man nothing. After all, they had to protect William from the likes of men who simply reeked of evil. "I'm sorry, we…." McColl started to speak only to stop when he heard riders off to his left. He and the others turned to see a group of men riding towards them. Victoria and McColl were both elated to see Jarrod, Nick and Heath were among the men. They also noticed how quickly their visitors backed up.

"Where have you been?" Nick bellowed a bit louder than he meant. He quickly lowered his voice as his mother was shooting him a look that asked if he had to be that loud. "We've been worried sick about you."

Lying might not be right only Victoria knew that it would throw the men looking for William off for a while. She also knew it would tell her sons and the other men with them something was not right. "We were helping the others make sure the rest of the children had people to take them to other orphanages. These poor children were the last of the group.

It took all they had in them for Jarrod, Nick and the others not to reveal they were shocked by her words. The rest of the children? Other people? Jarrod turned his attention to the men who had stopped his mother and McColl. A closer look at them and he, like his mother, got the most uncomfortable feeling. He might not know who these men were; however, he knew they had to get McColl, his mother and the children away from the strangers.

"Well, we might as well accompany you back to Stockton." He said and then looked at Kyle and his men. "Is there something we can do for you?" Somehow, he wasn't surprised when Kyle and the men with him shook their heads.

"No, we're just doing some searching for a friend. We'll keep looking." Kyle answered before he and his men rode off in the direction McColl and Victoria had just come from.

"What was that all about?" Nick leaned forward in his saddle.

"We'll tell you about it on the way home." Victoria answered and explained there had been nothing to feed the children that morning. "The sooner we get home, the sooner we can get something in their stomachs."

"No need to wait for that." Heath said as reached into his saddle bag and pulled out some jerky. The other men did the same, though some of them actually had an apple or two with them. That being the case, the chatter of some very happy children could be heard as the group traveled back to Stockton.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Sheriff Madden bade Victoria and her family, along with McColl goodbye and then left what the Barkley's now called 'the main house'; it was a way to know whether the Barkleys were talking about Jarrod and Georgia's home or the house that Tom had built for his family years before. The lawman had talked with the adults first and then each of the children, being careful to be as non threatening as possible. He'd also written everything down that McColl and Victoria had told him. "I understand you felt you had to bury the body of the priest to protect it from any wild animals; however," he'd told them, "I still wish we could have had a look at the body first." He'd then added, "I will send a wire back to Boston the moment I get back in town." Fred told before leaving. It was a fact no one was surprised to hear.

After he left, Victoria excused herself and went to check on the children who had been put in their two guest bedrooms; they would be moved to another orphanage in the next day or two. All but William that is; the family had all voted to keep the ten year old on the ranch with them. Jarrod would have gone back to his study while Nick and Heath would have gone back to work outside, only McColl stopped them in their tracks as they started to leave the room.

"While I can't prove it, my gut is screaming that those men had everything to do with the murder of Father James and the burning of the orphanage." McColl's eyes took on a harder look than they'd ever seen. "And, in spite of the time we bought ourselves, they'll be back. I just know it. That being the case, we need to get the air cleared between us right here and now!" The fact the he looked at Jarrod more than once while he was talking did not pass by any of the brothers.

Nick didn't see anything that needed to be aired and started to say so. "Everything's fine." He said as he turned around to face their foreman.

"No," McColl pointed his finger at Nick and then his two brothers. "It's not. Each of you, in his own way, has been sending some very mixed messages! This being the case, I'm going to have my say now!" Jarrod, Nick and Heath might have said something only they were to surprised to hear a tone in their foreman's voice that was similar to the one Victoria used when one had no choice but to listen. Nick walked back to the fireplace and leaned against it once more; if he was going to have to listen to anyone, he might as well be comfortable. Heath sat back down in the chair he'd been using while Jarrod sat back down his chair.

Once McColl saw that all three were really listening, he began talking. "I remember the early days, after you father's death." McColl looked straight at Nick. You had a lot of responsibility fall on your shoulders and, at first; you had trouble with the men listening to you. However, that changed the day you accepted that you needed to handle this ranch the way Nick Barkley would not the way Tom Barkley had. Not that your father did a bad job… he didn't." McColl made the last comment just in case they thought that he was bad mouthing their father's ability to run the ranch. "Since he passed away, you and I have spent almost as many hours working together as your father and I did. You know full well that I'd never purposely hurt your mother. If you didn't, you'd never had encouraged me to speak up. So," He folded his arms across his chest, "Stop acting as if I need to be watched like a hawk now or that, if things don't work out between Vic and I, that we both are going to fall apart! We're both stronger than that!" McCall took a breath and turned his eyes to Heath. "Same goes for you, Heath. You might not have said anything with your mouth only your eyes have spoken volumes!" Their long time foreman looked at both Nick and Heath as he spoke.

Nick and Heath knew exactly where the man known as Duke McColl was coming from and they smiled. "You're right." Nick stepped away from the fireplace. "She's still our mother; you'll understand we're still protective of her. However," Nick couldn't help but chuckle as he added, "you're right. I'll back off." Heath spoke similar words as he stood up. Neither one of them were about to admit that their mother had, basically, given them the same lecture after she'd returned home. Their words had McColl chuckling himself.

Knowing how much work still needed to be done on the ranch, McColl sighed and said, "I'll be with outside to work with you in a moment. But, right now, I'd like to talk to Jarrod, alone."

Neither Nick nor Heath had to ask why the man wanted to talk to their oldest brother in private. "We'll see you when you get through here." Nick said as he threw on his hat and followed Heath out of the room and out of the house.

Only after the front door been opened, and shut, was the silence in the living room broken. And then, it was Jarrod who did the speaking first. "I don't think a private talk is necessary." Jarrod said, doing his best to keep his eyes on McColl instead of looking away even if he felt like fleeing the room.

"It's very much necessary." McColl was still speaking with 'that' tone as he moved the chair Heath had been using over a few feet. Changing the position of the chair made it easier to sit down and look straight at Jarrod without having to turn his neck in order to easily see Victoria's oldest son. "You and I have known each other far too many years to think the silent, unfriendly messages you have been sending my way are simply because I work for your family or even that society might not see a match between us as acceptable." McColl leaned backwards in the chair as a long ago memory came back to him, one that had come back on more than one occasion in the past. "I haven't forgotten Jarrod and, apparently, you haven't either."

"HUH?" Jarrod couldn't help but sit up straight. "What are you talking about?"

"You should know full well what I mean." McColl answered as he reminded Jarrod that when Tom and Victoria had gone through the roughest patch in their marriage and Tom had gone to Strawberry. He also reminded Jarrod that his Uncle Jim and Aunt Ellen had come and taken Nick to their home 'for a vacation'. "But you, even as young as you were, were made to stay here and help me here on the ranch since, at that time; both your parents thought it would be you that would take over the ranch when it came time. You didn't like that though, and we had more than a bit of trouble before your father came back. You even had a few choices words for me a couple of times."

Jarrod cringed slightly, as he had one of those times come back to him full force. _"You're not my father! You will never be my father!" Young Jarrod doubled his fists and starting swinging at McColl, who had had no choice but to deal with one of Jarrod and his friend's pranks on his own, as Victoria was rather sick. "You had no right to punish me! You had no….go away and stay away!"_

"I had forgotten that." Jarrod spoke softly, finally understanding the majority of the reason he'd been fighting things so hard.

"Jarrod, I'm _not_ your father. I _never_ will be." McColl shot Jarrod a grin. "However, up to now we have been good enough friends. If you have a solid reason for me not to see your mother then tell me only; from what I can see, there isn't one. My house might not be as large as this one, but it is more than adequate. It sits not two miles away from the ranch boundaries so, if we should marry, it's not like the family would never see her. And, unless you tell me Nick's going to fire me, I have a good steady job with which to provide for her." Then, knowing how Victoria had leaned so heavily on Jarrod when Tom died, with his knowing how it was to grief for someone you had loved and lost, McColl added, "If she needs you, she knows how to get a hold of you! Besides, haven't you noticed by now that if your mother has something to say she doesn't hold back? Land sakes, I'd be better off digging my own grave than to cross your mother!" McColl sent Jarrod another smile and asked, "Truce?"

Jarrod couldn't help it; he starting roaring with laughter at the image of what his mother would do if McColl messed up in anyway. "To be honest, Georgia has told me the same thing on more than one occasion. Well, basically she has." He held out his hand to McColl, still chuckling. "We have a truce."

McColl smiled as he shook Jarrod's hand and turned to go and join Nick and Heath outside. "Thank you." He then walked out of the living room. Soon afterwards, Jarrod headed back to his own house. After all, all he wanted to do was sit down and relax with Georgia and their son. If his mother needed his or his brothers' help, McColl was right…she knew exactly where to find them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

From where Victoria stood next to the house she could see Nick, McColl and William working together. The other children had gone with Jarrod, Georgia and little Zebulon into town. Jarrod planned on putting the children on a train, under the supervision of a couple from the church. Arrangements had been made for their future care at an orphanage in San Francisco. Victoria couldn't help but smile as she heard William let out a squeal of delight when McColl and Nick allowed him to ride one of the horses around in the coral. She had wondered how loud that squeal would get when he found out that McColl and her middle son had bought the horse specifically thinking about him. It was a question that was answered the moment the child dismounted and Nick opened the corral gate, leading the horse away once he shut the gate back up.

"Are you serious?" William looked up at McColl who was smiling down at him. "He's going to be mine?"

"As long as you are on this ranch it will be yours. When we contact your relatives, you can still use him when you visit." 'If you visit' were words McColl made himself not speak. The young boy had already wrapped himself around McColl's heart and he didn't like to think about life without William in it.

"Thank you!" William let out an even louder squeal and threw his short arms around McColl as much as he could. By the time, he let go of MCcoll, Victoria was standing next to the fence. William excused himself as he climbed over the fence and ran towards the stable and to his horse. Both McColl and Victoria starting laughing when they heard a third squeal and Nick bellowing that he didn't know he had competition when it came to the volume of his voice.

"You've made that little boy very happy." Victoria said as McColl opened the gate to the corral and then shut it once he was out.

"Every boy needs a horse." McColl answered as he leaned up against the fence, not saying another word as he waited for Victoria to tell him what she needed. And, she did need something. He could see it in the way she stood and by the look in her eyes.

"I wanted to thank you." Victoria finally spoke as she leaned forward and rested her arms on the top of the fence.

"Thank me?" McColl's turned down eyebrows and slight frown, along with his question, showed he was clueless as to why Victoria should feel the need to thank him for anything.

"I was at the top of the stairs when you had your talk with the boys." Victoria explained. "I realized then that you've always been there for me, for us. And," she gave him a soft, warning, glare, "Don't tell me you were only doing your job. We both know better than that." She went onto to mention a number of instances where he'd stepped in to help, not only when Tom had been away on business, but when he was too sick to do things around the ranch or with the family. "There were people that insisted on gossip back then, but I could still hold my head up high knowing they were dead wrong when it came to your intentions." Victoria finished and turned her eyes towards the empty corral.

McColl shrugged his shoulders and turned himself around, leaning against the fence in the same manner as Victoria was. "You and Tom were my bosses and my friends, Victoria. I simply treated both of you as such."

A few birds flew overheard and let out an occasional 'caw' while a soft breeze began blowing through the air. "When did it change? I mean," Victoria said as she looked up at the birds flying over head, "When did things between us change?"

McColl was surprised to hear a sound similar to a frightened young school girl in Victoria's voice. Then again, maybe he wasn't. It had been more than a couple of years since Tom had been killed, many more since she'd been seriously courted. He looked around the ranch remembering his late wife and how he'd felt when he realized he was developing feelings for Victoria. "Well, I can't speak for you only, when it comes to me," McColl finally answered as he took a hold of Victoria's shoulders and turned her to face him, "I remember the day Jarrod left for Colorado. You were doing all you could not to show just how nervous you were." He chuckled as he thought on that day. "You came out to the stables; you'd decided to go on a ride, to clear your mind as it were. Do you remember what happened?" He continued to softly chuckle, especially when Victoria remembered and her eyes widened.

"I wasn't looking where I was going and wound up in a pile of hay, and all you could do was laugh!" Victoria shook her finger at him, the whole time her eyes were laughing, as a grin as wide as the Mississippi spread across her face.

` "I…I couldn't help it!" McColl started laughing again as he remembered the sight. "You were covered from head to toe with hay. I'd seen hay on you before, mind you, but nothing like that." He stopped laughing as he grew serious. "It was all I could do to simply help you stand up and brush off. Not easy to do," He said as he found himself pulling Victoria to him, "when all I wanted to do was hold you in my arms."

"Why didn't you?" Victoria asked, curious as to why the man who she'd grown to know could be extremely bold, both in actions and words, if he wanted to be.

"You were my boss' mother and," McColl chuckled, "I could just see Nick walking in, catching us, and firing me for having the nerve to touch his mother. Besides, you are a real lady and I was simply a dusty, middle aged cowboy. Guess William's aunt should have come out for a visit and had a talk with me." He then lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "I might have taken the chance if someone had." Before either one was hardly aware of it, McColl was holding her closer and kissing her once more.

"If those two keep it up," Georgia, who was visiting Audra while their sons played together, said as she looked out the window, "I'd say you're going to be getting a stepfather someday."

Audra sighed as Carl's loss hit home once more, and she had to fight the childish jealousy that tried to rise up inside her. Oh not jealousy when it came to McColl himself; no, just simply jealous over the fact that her mother appeared to have someone and she, Audra, didn't. "I'll admit, she's been alone long enough, and Duke McColl is one of the best men we've ever known." She turned away from the window and walked back over to the couch leaving Georgia, a diehard romantic, gazing out the window hoping for the best for her mother-in-law…..while trying to keep back that the fear that the men looking for William would find him before the law found them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Victoria sat up in her bed when she heard someone moving around downstairs. It was well past midnight and everyone should have been asleep, she thought as she made her way down the stairs. It made her wonder what was up. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Victoria saw the culprit. William. The child was standing by the living room window looking out at the darkness of the night. She made her way to his side and looked out.

"You should be in bed." Victoria said in a friendly tone of voice. She knew talking in any other tone would only serve to scare the child, and he didn't deserve that. She also knew she was stating the obvious, only she figured it was as good as any way to get the child talking.

"I know, but they keep coming back, and I heard Mr. Duke say he sometimes goes on walks when he can't sleep." William answered.

Victoria felt her heart skip a beat. While she assumed the child meant he kept having nightmares, the idea that he might have actually gone outside at such an insane hour was something she most definitely did not approve of. "Mr. _McColl_," Victoria stressed Duke's last name in hopes the child would get it through his head what name to use when talking about McColl, "is a full grown man. You are a young child. You weren't thinking to go out there and go for a walk were you?" She laid her hand gently upon the young boy's shoulder, her eyes full of sympathy and concern.

William nodded his head. "But I got scared. It's dark out there."

Victoria had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing, and it was all she could do to talk with a straight face. "Well, it does seem to have a bit of tendency to do that when it's two o'clock in the morning." She then knelt down in front of him. "Would it help if you talked about your nightmares?"

William thought for a moment and then said, "Can't I talk to Mr. Duke?"

Victoria went to explain that McColl was sleeping when a movement outside caught her eye. She quickly moved to the window and let out a sigh of relief while a half amused chuckle escaped her lips. "Guess Mr. McColl couldn't sleep either." She again repeated their foreman's correct last name, reached out and took a hold of William's hand. Soon the two were standing outside while William talked to McColl.

"They keep coming back." William told McColl after the gentleman helped him up on the top of the corral fence, while Victoria also leaned on it nearby. "I keep hearing them. They keep trying to get me." He then looked at both McColl and Victoria and asked, "Why did they say they were helping someone look for me? Nobody would look for me."

McColl glanced at Victoria, who only looked and, with her eyes, told him to deal with it. After all, William had wanted to talk to him. "We don't know for sure." McColl clasped his hand upon the boy's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "But we're working on finding out. Until then, we'll do our best to protect you, the Barkleys and me that is. Now why not get yourself back into the house and to bed? Someone as young as you are needs your rest."

William nodded as he yawned. Giving McColl a hug, the young boy climbed down from the fence, told Victoria goodnight and literally ran through the dark, into the house and up the stairs to the room he was using.

Once he was out of sight, Victoria spoke up. "Fred was going to contact the family, but it could be days before we hear anything and weeks before anyone gets here."

McColl heard what she was not saying, what she was most concerned about. "All we can do is keep our eyes wide open and trust out instincts. There's a chance that those men will figure things out, and we'll have to deal with them. Only why worry now?"

"Maybe I shouldn't, only I am. If we're right, those men are willing to use a ten year old boy as a means to get what they want!" The fact that she was angry wasn't something Victoria wasn't even attempting to hide as her eyes shot with fire.

"And when they try anything, your sons, myself and any other man on this ranch will hopefully be ready for them." McColl pulled Victoria into his embrace. "And, knowing you the way I do, you will be just as ready. For now, you really do need to relax a bit. Getting yourself all worked up isn't going to help that boy any."

A good portion of Victoria wanted to stay angry as she thought on the young boy who was probably praying like crazy he could sleep a few hours without his dreams being invaded. On the other hand, it was sort of hard to stay mad at anything when the man who held her had the nerve to be right in the things he said. Still, the stubborn part of her didn't want to admit that. "The moment we relax is the moment those men will strike. From past experience, we both know that!"

McColl had been around the block enough times to know Victoria had a point. He also knew no good would come, if Victoria allowed herself to get so angry she couldn't think straight. "I know that." He spoke, keeping his voice low and soothing as he caught Victoria off guard as he began to twirl her around in circles.

"Mac! What do you think you're doing?" Victoria demanded, though she was secretly chuckling to herself.

"Well, from everything Jarrod and Georgia have told us," McColl winked at Victoria, "I figured an unplanned dance wouldn't hurt either one of us."

Victoria couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face from spreading from ear to ear. Jarrod and Georgia had often shared all their dancing experiences, whether it was during the war or after they'd been reunited. However, she'd not been aware that McColl had been listening. Leaning into McColl, Victoria allowed herself to enjoy the moonlight dance McColl had started. After all, it had been far too long since she'd allowed herself to do anything so impromptu, and she was enjoying it.


	14. Chapter 14

**This was originally two chapters only it felt as if it should be one so... it's a bit long.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Victoria was in the kitchen whistling a lively tune when Audra walked through the door way. Victoria might not have thought anything of it, only her daughter was looking at her as if she, Audra, was searching for something. "Stand there long enough and your eyes will fall out." Victoria removed the pan from the stove and sat it on a pot holder on the counter.

"I thought Silas was in here." Audra answered as she leaned against the end of the counter. "I needed to double check the days he said he'd be gone. After all, I need to know which days I'll be cooking."

Victoria couldn't help but chuckle. There was a day that those words out of her daughter's mouth would have made her cringe. As it was, Audra had become quite the amazing cook over the past couple of years…even to the point where her brothers were hard pressed to tease her about her skills. "He'll be back inside shortly; he went out into the garden."

"I thought you were watching William today." Audra said as she continued leaning against the counter. After a long family discussion, it had been decided that one of the Barkleys, or McColl… since the boy had taken such a liking to the foreman… would have William with them at all times. It might not have been necessary only Fred had stopped by the night before and told them that men fitting the description Victoria, McColl and the children had given him had been see around the outskirts of Stockton. 'Until I hear from the boy's aunt, I don't think it wise for William to be alone' had been the sheriff's exact words.

"He begged Nick to let him help McColl or Heath for a bit and, since Nick doesn't have anything huge going on today, he agreed not to argue with William staying with McColl. Any time with Heath will have to wait as he's rather busy." Victoria smiled as she finished up what she was doing.

"And," Audra couldn't help but smile, "of course, McColl didn't object, and Heath has promised to let him hang around once he, Heath, is available."

Victoria started laughing. "No more than your father would have when any of you children would beg to 'help' him, and yes, Heath did." She didn't have to say that sometimes that 'help' was more of a hindrance; Audra had realized that years ago.

Victoria turned to leave the kitchen only to have Audra, thinking on Georgia's comment, stop her dead in her tracks. "How serious are you about Duke McColl?"

For a moment Victoria did not move, nor did she answer. She thought on all the years she and McColl had been friends. All the times she and Tom had turned to him. "I don't know about you…" McColl's words rang in her ears. Slowly she turned around and faced Audra. One look into her daughter's eyes and Victoria could see an array of emotions running through Audra. "Serious enough to wonder if any of my children are going to throw a childish temper tantrum if things go any further," Okay, so after she'd learned of McColl's talk with her three oldest sons, she couldn't see them doing any such thing. And, from what Eugene wrote when she'd mentioned it in one of her letters to him, he was wary of the relationship, only because if things didn't work out it, he feared it would be too awkward for McColl to continue working for Nick. Still, he'd told her he trusted her judgment. No, her only concern was what a daughter who, still in her grief for the loss of Carl, might do. Victoria took a step towards Audra. "Are you?"

"I thought about it." Audra answered quietly as she moved away from the counter and moved to a nearby chair. "But, McColl's a good man, a hard worker and, like I told Georgia," she said as she looked at her mother and did her best to smile, "you've been alone long enough." She then broke down and started crying. "When does the pain go away? When does one feel alive again?"

Victoria hurried to embrace her daughter and whispered. "Everyone is different, but I promise you. It will get better. For now, you can talk to me and even to Jarrod. After all, he might have Georgia now, but I think twelve years of being without her gives him a right to help you through your grief."

Audra nodded and held onto her mother for a few moments. Afterwards, she stood up, dried her eyes and excused herself. "I promised Georgia I'd go over to their home and bring Adam with me. He and Zebulon sure seem to enjoy each other. We might even have a small picnic in their yard."

As soon as her daughter left, Victoria went to find William and McColl. After all, the thought of having their own picnic was rather inviting at the moment. It wasn't long until Victoria and McColl were walking through an open field listening to the birds chirping away as they flew the air while a gentle wind blew. The picnic she'd hoped to have with McColl and William had turned into time alone with McColl as William had wound up going fishing with Nick and Heath.

"I know this is going to sound horrible," McColl said as he and Victoria laid out the blanket she'd brought with her, "Only I'm glad William has taken a liking to Heath and chose fishing with him and Nick over having a picnic with us."

Victoria heard what he was not saying; William was running him ragged and he was too polite to say so. "He is a handful isn't he?" She was smiling the whole time she asked the question.

"You could say that, reminds me a lot of Nick though so it's not too bad." McColl chuckled as he took the chicken she offered him. "

Victoria was startled at first. Then, as she began looking at it, she had to shake her head as she too saw a lot of similarities. "Well, let's be glad he's not as loud. I don't know that my ears could take it."

After they'd finished eating, McColl helped clean the area up. However, when Victoria started to walk towards the buggy, he reached out and stopped her. "Why rush back home? No one will be there and, from what you just said earlier today, you have nothing pressing to do."

"There's always something to do." Victoria protested, although it wasn't a very strong protest.

McColl shook his head and laid his hands upon her shoulders and then spoke just as candidly as he knew how. "Victoria, you need to learn to relax more. Ever since Tom was killed, I've seen you throw yourself into one thing or another. All right, it's not near as bad as it was while you were working through your grief. However," he said as he tapped her shoulders gently with his thumbs, "you're still far too uptight. It's not good."

Victoria knew he was right, yet the stubborn part of her didn't want to admit it. "So, what would you have me to? Throw all caution to the wind and forget I have a family to think about? That there are men out there that I just know are going to show up and try to get William?"

"When it comes to your children, Victoria," McColl said as shook his head doing his best to choose his words carefully; he didn't want to come across wrong. "You have that responsibility and you don't. I mean," he said as he hurried on when Victoria's face registered shock, "Yes, the boys and Audra still desperately needs your love, support and, at times, some guidance. Only…" he paused and then said, "they're all adults now. They all have their own lives to lead. You don't have to be there every minute. Enjoy this period of your life! I mean, in spite of what William might think, being over fifty doesn't mean the end of the world. As far as Will goes," he sighed, "We do our best to keep our eyes open and protect him until those men are found and questioned. We can't live in fear." McColl took a step forward. "What do you say? Let's allow ourselves to enjoy a bit more time out here? It's rather a nice day." It was too; he hated the idea of going back just so he could do things that, in all honesty, could wait.

Victoria might have argued only, with William in Nick and Heath's care, she found herself wanting to do just as McColl suggested. "All right," she smiled as she slipped one arm around McColl's waist and started walking once more. "Just what did you have in

mind?"

"I have no idea," McColl admitted as he moved one arm behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder, "other than I just want more time with you; I don't want to go back to the ranch just yet."

Victoria couldn't stop herself from smiling. "I don't either." She laid her head against his shoulder as they continued walking. By the time the walk was over and Victoria sat in front of the fireplace in her home it was almost four o'clock at night. When a knock came on the door, Victoria would have stood up and answered it, but Silas, who was closer, did it for her. "Mister Jarrod, Miss Georgia! You don't have to knock!" The long time servant stepped aside and made room for Jarrod to push Georgia's wheelchair through the door way.

"We do when we don't live here." Georgia smiled and answered as she let Zebulon off her lap; the child who was now walking rather well, headed straight for his grandmother. Victoria, who had turned away from the fireplace, beamed and held out her arms as Zebulon made it to her.

"Where's Audra?" Georgia asked. Before Victoria or Silas could answer, Audra stepped out of the dining room.

"I've been waiting. Come on, everything's ready." Audra was all smiles as she spoke. She and Georgia had promised to make some desserts for an upcoming town social. As far as Audra was concerned, the sooner they got started the sooner they'd be finished.

While his wife and sister disappeared into the kitchen, Jarrod made his way into the living room. Zebulon was playing with a handkerchief Victoria had given him when Jarrod sat down on the chair closest to the fireplace. He had thought to relax a bit only one look into his mother's eyes and he knew something was troubling her. Thinking there must be trouble between her and McColl, he sat up straight and leaned forward a bit. "What's wrong? Did you and McColl have a fight or something?"

Victoria gave her son a somewhat frustrated look. "There is nothing wrong between McColl or I. It's just…" she paused as she looked at Zebulon sitting on her lap and playing with the handkerchief. "It's William. We should have heard something by now."

"It's only been a week. I'm sure we'll hear something soon." Jarrod answered, even though he was secretly thinking the same thing.

"That's what McColl said." Victoria sighed, as she let her mind wander back to the previous day.

McColl and Victoria stood underneath a tree talking; the talk had turned to William and his relatives back east. "It hasn't been that long. As soon as Fred hear anything he'll tell us." McColl cupped her right cheek with his left hand and rubbed it with his thumb. "Now," he'd said as he lowered his head and started kissing her with more passion than he'd ever had before, "I think we need to have another serious talk."

"Mother?" Jarrod's eyes and voice held concern as his mother looked a thousand miles away.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Victoria was embarrassed that she'd allowed her mind to wander. "You're right; you both are. I just wish we'd hear something, anything. William deserves a stable home life."

Jarrod couldn't agree more. "With any luck at all he will have one with his aunt or another relative. Now," he said as he looked around. "Where's Heath and Nick? One of them was supposed to meet me here." Due to a cattle deal, Jarrod had some paperwork for at least one of his brothers to look over.

Victoria smiled. "Nick should be in for lunch soon. As far as Heath goes," her smile grew wider, "He had an unexpected visitor this morning."

Jarrod was surprised and it showed as he sat up straight. "Who was it?" He prayed that answer wouldn't bring a reply akin to 'trouble from his past'.

"Maria." Victoria started chuckling as Jarrod's eyes grew wide. It was obvious he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Montero? Maria Montero is back?" Jarrod asked, half afraid the visit would only bring new heartache to his younger brother.

"Yes, it seems like cowboys are popular with the ladies this year." Victoria joked and then grew serious. "It seems her father kept picking men he thought were suitable for her and then would try to push her onto them. Needless to say, she grew to resent it even more than before. She finally told him that she was coming back to California and, if Heath could forgive her for what she said was a bad decision; she was going to marry him."

"And he did what?" Jarrod knew better than to think Mr. Montero had simply rolled over without a fight.

"He's disowned her, cut her out of his will and everything. She showed up with the clothes on her back a few dollars to her name. Though, she was able to find work at the café. Heath also found her a place to stay until they decide on a wedding date."

"Things are getting active around here aren't they?" Jarrod smiled, happy for his brother. However, his smile faded when his mother's face took on an even more serious look. "What is it?"

Victoria took a deep breath, thinking on what McColl had asked her the day before and of a portion of the conversation they'd had just that afternoon. "Mac has asked me to marry him." She wasn't surprised when Jarrod let out a low whistle and sat back in the chair he was using.

Jarrod waited for his mother to say more only, after it became apparent she wasn't going to, he gently pressed for more information. "I take it you haven't given him a definite answer."

Victoria shook her head slowly, as she again started throwing one reason after another to say no around in her head. That is, until Jarrod spoke up again. "You don't have to worry about our reactions mother." Jarrod leaned down as he spoke and picked up Zebulon, who had made his way over to his father. "All of us will back you up on what you decide. Though, if I might suggest that, maybe, you wait until after this business with young William is taken care of. Once you're not worried about him, maybe it will be easier to come to a decision."

Victoria shook her head and let out a chuckle as she stood up and walked over to the window. From where she stood she could see McColl talking to Heath and Maria, who had just arrived back at the ranch; young William was holding Maria's hand. She couldn't help but smile. "You know as well as I do Jarrod that coming up with reasons not to make a decision until later isn't always the best thing to do."

"Do you love him?" Jarrod, keeping Zebulon in his arms, made his way to his mother.

Victoria didn't answer as she stepped closer to the window. William had let go of Maria's hand and was now holding on McColl's while Maria was giving him a hug goodbye. "That's the thing, Jarrod; I do only…I don't know if I love him enough to marry him. I sometimes ask myself what it will take for me to know for sure."

Even as she spoke the words, Jarrod got an uneasy feeling that his mother wasn't going to have to wait all that long to get an answer to her question.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Paul Alderson threw another stick onto the campfire he and his men had built the night before. Call it luck, call it providence, call it whatever you want, but the orphanage the men had burnt to the ground hadn't been the only orphanage to burn the day Kyle had killed Father James. This being the case, when Paul and the men had heard of 'various children having to be relocated to different areas, they assumed that all the children mentioned were from 'their' fire, and it was proving to be a rather lengthy search.

"We've wasted enough time. I say we split up and scour every inch within fifty miles of the old orphanage! Do whatever we have to find, and get, that brat, even if it means being in the saddle for days on end!" Paul was raising his voice and waving his hands all over the place. Paul looked at the few men who were still with him, the others having been either captured during other escapades or killed during one of them. "For the money that brat will bring us, it'll be worth any amount of time we spend in the saddle!" The look in Paul's eye told most of the men to simply shut up and go along with their boss. However, Kyle was a different story. He could have been looking right at the sun and not seen it. However, he could see an opportunity that would give him some profit each and every time.

"You heard the rumors," Kyle picked up his coffee cup as he sat down on the log he'd set down by the campfire, "We haven't checked all the places they could have been taken. We should be concentrating on traveling to _all _of the orphanages before that boy is adopted out!" He wasn't about to admit he had ideas of his own and was doing all he could to thwart Paul's plans. It did little good though. For better or worse, Paul had lived by his gut instinct most of his life. Sometimes it had paid off, other times he'd paid dearly. This being the case, when Kyle spoke and 'that feeling' went off inside Paul; he turned on the man with full force.

"YOU can go and check them out if you want, along with anyone else that wants to argue with me!" Paul was as furious as he could get. "I tell you that boy isn't in any orphanage. I don't know how I know that only I do! Who's with me?" It took very little time for the few men who were still with Paul and Kyle to move over and stand by Paul. When Kyle saw he had absolutely no support, he silently swore to get to the boy before Paul did.

"All right, all right," Kyle put down his coffee cup. I'm with you; we do it your way." He wasn't surprised when Paul's evil grin appeared on his face. Once again, Kyle swore to make sure that he, not Paul, got the money Matthew's grandfather had left behind.

"Good! We separate into two groups, search for a while and then report back here. After that, we search again if we haven't found him!" Paul barked as he headed for his horse.

**~oOo~**

The breeze that was blowing through the air was slowly picking up speed. Victoria sat next to McColl on the buckboard of the wagon he was driving. Heath, Maria and William were following behind them; William was riding with Heath. The five of them had decided to go on a picnic. All right, it helped that William had been almost begged for them all to have an outing together. From the way Heath and Maria talked, Victoria was sure the only reason they'd agreed to come along was so they wanted time to get to know William even better…due to their interest of adopting him after they were married. That is, if his aunt or other relatives didn't contact the family soon.

"Maybe I should have found a reason for us to have our own picnic." McColl said softly after William had said something to Heath in a rather loud voice. "I think that boy's been taking lessons on how to get himself heard from Nick."

Victoria couldn't help but chuckle. William _had _begun to talk louder than he had in the past. It was both good and bad seeing how, in the past, you had to be right next to him to hear what he was saying. "We can always get something to plug our ears with." She said as she winked at McColl, who broke out in a grin as large as the ranch, and then turned her eyes back to the road they were traveling on, though her mind wandered back to the night before.

_The sun had long since gone to bed when Victoria, who could not sleep, made her way out of the house and began walking outside. She was thinking on McColl's proposal and Jarrod's question. Being preoccupied, she didn't see McColl, who was also unable to sleep. "Whoa, there," McColl laughed as Victoria bumped into him. "What' up? I mean, besides us." _

_ "Sorry," Victoria was embarrassed, but she still managed to see the humor and laugh with McColl. "I couldn't sleep. I hoped a walk would help me think."_

_ McColl gave her a sympathetic smile and then shocked her by, basically, reading her thoughts, "I told you Vic," he laid his hands on her shoulders. "You don't have to give me an answer right away. Take all the time you need; I'll not put any pressure on you one way or the other and," he chuckled, "I won't turn my back on Nick or this ranch if you say you prefer us to simply be friends and see others." All right, so he prayed like crazy she would give him the answer he wanted; still, he wasn't going to quit his job if she didn't._

_ Victoria smiled from ear to ear as she lifted her hand and laid it on the side of McColl's face. "You're something else, you know that?"_

_ McColl smiled and chuckled. "I do my best. Now," he said as he glanced towards the house, "Maybe you should get back inside before anyone gets the wrong idea." _

_ Victoria didn't know why, since McColl had never done or said anything to indicate he thought of her as anything less than a lady, only the moment he indicated he was concerned about her reputation, she wrapped her arms around his neck and took a step closer. "Let me worry about what people think about me." _

"Vic…" McColl tapped her shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?" He asked the question as he brought the wagon to a step; they'd reached their destination.

"I'm fine, just thinking." Victoria answered as he climbed down from the wagon and then helped her down, her mind still on how he'd made her feel as he took his time in kissing her…almost to the point of slipping into the barn and throwing all rules to the wind. Only the sound of the side door of the house opening had gotten them apart instead.

Soon, they, along with Heath, Maria and William were sitting and eating their lunch. Afterwards, William begged McColl to teach him all about the snipe hunting he'd heard Nick and some of the men talking about. It was all McColl and the others could do not to laugh.

"Why not?" McColl stood up and smiled at the boy. "I'm sure these three can hold down the fort." He winked at Heath and Maria, along with smiling from ear to ear when he looked at Victoria.

"Go for it; think we'll stay here, though." Heath wrapped his arm around Maria while Victoria was chuckling. Once McColl and William were out of sight Heath, his mother and Maria burst out laughing.

"Wonder how long it will take McColl to convince the boy there's no snipes around here." Maria said as she regained control of herself.

"I hope by supper time." Victoria began cleaning up the picnic area, as did Heath and Maria. "Silas won't like it if we're late."

"No, he'll…." Heath started to answer only to have his heart jump, as did Maria and Victoria, when they heard a gunshot and heard William scream. He and the women bolted straight up. In no time flat, Heath was in the saddle and riding hard in the direction that the shot and scream had come from. Victoria and Maria, who had practically flown to the wagon and to Maria's horse, were not far behind.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The gentle breeze that blew through the slightly opened bedroom window did little to sooth Victoria's fears as she sat beside the bed where Duke McColl lay fighting for his life. The horror of the past twenty four hours preyed upon her mind as she kept her hand upon McColl's.

_Victoria, Maria and Heath all feared what the shot they'd heard, along with William's scream, meant. Their fears were confirmed when they sighted McColl lying motionless upon the ground and William was nowhere in sight. Heath flew off his horse and ran to McColl. Victoria and Maria had done the same once they too saw the sight._

_ "Heath?" Victoria asked as she flew to off the wagon and ran towards her stepson who was kneeling beside their foreman._

_ "He's alive." Heath answered, as he looked up at Victoria's terrified expression. "But we have to get him back to the house. One of the men can go for the doctor while Nick, Jarrod, and a few men come with me to go after William." He didn't see any reason to state the fact that it appeared that whoever had been after William had now found him. _

"Mrs. Barkley?" Maria stepped into the room carrying a tray full of food. "Since you refused to come and eat supper in the dining room, Silas insisted I bring this up to you." Heath's fiancé was staying at the main house with Victoria, Audra and Georgia. Jarrod had insisted that the women stay together with his mother while he joined the others in the search for William. "You need to eat something." She sat the tray down near Victoria.

Victoria gave her soon to be daughter-in-law a small smile and turned her attention back to McColl. Brushing his hair off his forehead, she fought the tears that wanted to come. "I told Jarrod I didn't know whether or not I loved him enough..." She closed her eyes, unable to continue. When she did, she felt Maria's hand upon her shoulder.

"I've seen the way he looks at you." Maria spoke quietly and slowly as she gazed upon Victoria and then looked at McColl. "And I've seen the way you look at him, so have the others. If I may say, everyone can see the love that exists between the two of you." It was the truth, and she knew it. Still, Maria hoped she had not crossed lines in saying so.

Whether she had or not, Maria would not be told as Victoria took a deep breath, opened her eyes and asked about the search for William. "Have you heard anything?"

Maria shrugged her shoulders and sat down on a nearby chair. "Fred stopped by. He said one of the men who is helping with the search brought in a pocket watch he'd found while searching. It had the name of Kyle Jasper on it. Fred checked the man's name out. It seems like the man fits the description of the man who stopped you and McColl, the one asking about William. Fred says that he made some inquiries and that he found out the man is wanted in a number of states for one thing or another. He says he's still waiting to see if it's known just who he runs with." She made the last statement due to the fact more than one set of horse tracks had been found on the scene. "Now, please," she begged as she nodded towards the food on the tray, "eat something."

Victoria didn't feel like eating only, for Maria's sake, she agreed to do just that.

**~oOo~**

The sun beat down upon the searchers as they rode mile after mile, following the trail Kyle and the men with him had left when they'd shot McColl. However, when they rounded a bend in the trail, all the men came to an abrupt halt. Near a campfire lay four men, three were obviously dead or near dead, while the fourth sat propped up against a boulder. Though, from the look of him death was fast approaching.

Nick flew off his horse and beat everyone to the man who was still conscious while the other men checked the fallen ones. "Who are you? Where's the boy?" Nick asked as he knelt in front of the wounded stranger.

Paul's face filled with disgust, as he remembered how Kyle and the men with him had ridden into camp and shocked everyone by gunning them all down without warning. At that time, he had thought there was no way to exact any revenge on the man. However, with Nick in front of him, Paul grabbed his chance. "P...Paul, my name is P...aul. Man b…by the n…name of K…Kyle Jasper's got h...him." Paul struggled to speak. "Gonna come up w…with some s…story to g...give the br..at's r…relatives, g..gonna get so..me money. Le..ft n..not th…thirty min..." Paul's eyes closed and he took his last breath before he could finish his sentence.

Nick jumped to his feet and joined Heath and Jarrod, who were talking while the men with them were throwing the bodies of the dead men onto the back of some of the horses. When they stopped talking and looked at him, Nick repeated what the dying man had said. "One of us," Nick said referring to the search party, "can take the dead men back to Stockton, talk to the sheriff and then check in at the ranch, while the rest of us continue tracking this Kyle fellow and any of the men that left with him." Murmurs of agreement could be heard among the group.

While Jarrod wanted to continue searching with the men, he knew he had pressing matters waiting for him back in Stockton, ones that had included information about Williams's relatives. That and he wanted to get Georgia into a doctor, as she had been not acting well for the past week. "I'll take them back. You two go with the rest of the men and get William back." He said as he mounted his horse.

After Jarrod was in the saddle, Nick handed him the reins to the horses that held the bodies of the four dead men and asked Jarrod to promise to check on McColl and their mother first chance he got. That was a promise Jarrod was more than happy to make.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Victoria was standing in front of the bedroom window gazing outside while keeping an eye and ear on McColl, when Jarrod walked in. He wasn't surprised when she said, without turning around, "Did they find William, Jarrod?" His mother had never had to ask which one of her children was entering the same room as she; she just knew.

"Not yet." Jarrod answered, as he walked over to the foot of McColl's bed. "However, they know who took him." He went on to tell her about the men that had been shot and what the man called Paul had said. "Nick and Heath, along with the men with them will get him back, mother." Jarrod put his hands on top of the footboard and looked at McColl. "What did the doctor say?" On his return and nearing the house, Jarrod had seen Dr. Merar driving away.

"Same as he did yesterday," Victoria turned her head ever so slightly and answered quietly. "He's developed an infection, we need to get as much liquid down him as possible and give him the medicine the doctor left." Her voice broke at that point, and she stopped fighting the tears that had been fighting to come. Jarrod quickly moved from the foot of the bed over to his mother. In no time at all he was holding her close as her tears flowed like water over a water fall. He hadn't seen her this upset since his father had been killed.

"He'll pull through just fine; you'll see." Jarrod said as his mind went back to the war and all the time Georgia had spent by his side talking or singing to him. However, she'd also confessed after Zebulon was born that there was many times during the war, when she'd been taking care of Jarrod, that she'd simply broke down and cried, wishing she had help with Jarrod's care. "However, you need to let us help you with his care. You aren't going to do him any favors if you run your own health into the ground taking care of him."

Victoria knew Jarrod was right. Only, now since she'd admitted to herself how much she loved the man called Duke McColl, she hated the idea of being away when he opened his eyes…and opening them was something he just had to do. "All right," she finally let go of Jarrod and nodded. "But, not right now." She walked over to the bed and sat down on the bed, making sure she wasn't on McColl's wounded side. "I have to stay with him for now." She covered McColl's right hand with hers and kept her eyes on him. The memories she had of the time he and she had already spent together began playing in her mind while she held onto the hope more memories were still to be made.

Jarrod gave her a small smile as he turned to leave the room. "I'll make sure someone comes up to relieve you in a few hours." He said the words as he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him. The whole time praying McColl would not be joining Tom Barkley on the other side. If he did, Jarrod knew his mother would never be able to look at another man as a prospective husband again; he just knew it.

** oOo**

"See anything?" Nick looked down from his horse and asked Heath, who had dismounted his horse and knelt down to take a closer look at an old campfire. As he did so, his heart skipped a beat. In the dirt lay the small pocket knife McColl had bought for William. "He's been here." Heath picked up the knife after studying the fire pit. "That fire isn't all that cold. I think we're pretty close. We're going to have to be careful from here on out. Last thing we want to do is endanger William." Murmurs of agreement could be heard as Heath remounted his horse. No one wanted the young boy hurt and all wanted the men who took him behind bars. Seconds later, the men were once again following the tracks that were being left behind by one very careless Kyle and his men. It might have been different only Mr. Jasper and his friends had thought McColl and the boy were all by themselves when they shot the Barkley's foreman and grabbed William. Though, one of the men who rode with William was beginning to suspect differently.

"I tell you I think someone is following us." Tyler, a blonde, long haired young twenty year old, who had not ridden with the late Paul Alderson and Kyle all that long, spoke up after looking over his shoulders. He couldn't see anything; still, he had 'that' feeling.

Kyle, who thought himself superior to those around him, looked back. Seeing no dust being kicked up, he shook his head and barked as he turned his face back to the road in front of them, "Ain't no one following us! Stop being so jumpy!" If he had stopped to think the light rain they'd had the night before had made it so there would be no dust to see, he might have taken Tyler's words more seriously.

On the other hand, William took the man very seriously. It was all he could do to make himself not see if he could turn the horse the men had put him on around. He might have tried it only, even as young as he was, he knew what the men would do if he did such a thing. Still, inside, he was smiling wide. He knew the Barkleys were coming after him. Then, as he thought on McColl, the smile faded somewhat. He'd seen Kyle aim his pistol and pull the trigger; he'd heard the sound of the gun and seen McColl fall. Had he survived or, like Father James, was he dead? It was a question that, for the sake of his sanity, young William forced out of his mind, choosing to instead to keep his mind on the fact that the Barkleys just had to be following him and the men which would, sooner or later, mean his rescue.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Victoria was sitting at the dining room table forcing herself to at least eat some of the food that Silas had prepared for her, when Audra, Maria and Georgia entered the room. Adam and Zebulon also entered the room only Zebulon was chasing Adam. With Adam crying out 'he' c'azy!" and Zebulon yelling "A'am!" The four women couldn't help but chuckle a little. However, the somewhat light mood created by the boys was quickly quenched, when Georgia inquired about McColl.

"Is his fever any lower?" She did her best not to resent the fact they'd chosen to put the wounded foreman in a room upstairs. With the responsibility of caring for Zebulon, Georgia didn't feel at liberty to ask anyone to go through the trouble of helping her upstairs to keep an eye on McColl. Though, she had insisted on washing the clothes he'd been wearing while he was wounded and she was making sure someone took her out to his house to check things out. Well, check the first floor out. Whoever went with her had to check the rooms upstairs.

Victoria nodded but gave them a sad smile, "Yes, but it's not completely broke and he keeps calling out for William, keeps yelling at the men for taking the boy." She wasn't about to repeat what he'd said when he'd cried out her name or the things he had murmured concerning the two of them. No, those things were for her ears only. Well, at least she hoped that was the case. It made her blush inwardly worse than she ever had just to think someone else might be hearing the things he had said.

"Where are they?" Audra practically yelled as she pounded her fists on the table before walking over to the dining room window.

Victoria, already stressed over the fact that she might very well be losing McColl and that her sons, plus William, were in danger of being hurt or killed by the men who shot McColl, put down her fork and snapped, causing her grandsons to stop their play and her daughter and the others to pull back in surprise. "STOP IT NOW!" She pushed back her chair, her face full of fury as she walked rather forcefully towards Audra. "I've had enough! We don't know where they're at and we know how long it's been! And," Victoria said as she took a deep breath and continued on, "You can stop throwing a two year old temper tantrum every time someone leaves this house and doesn't come home when you think they should! Goodness sake! It's been a year! Get a grip on yourself, if only for Adam Carl's sake!"

The look of pure shock that appeared on Audra's face was enough to get Victoria to lower her voice and sigh, though her next words were still spoken with great emphasis. "I _know _how it is. I _know_ it will take to fully work through your grief; it makes you normal. Only your behavior _has_ to change! My word, where did the confident, _very mature _woman you became before you married Carl go to? He wouldn't want you to continue on like this anymore than your father would have wanted me to fall apart." Victoria turned and looked at her grandson Adam, who had scrambled up onto his Aunt Georgia's lap when he heard his grandmother yelling at his mother. The sight had Victoria shaking her head as she turned her eyes back to Audra and asked in quiet, almost nerve wracking tone, "Do you really want your son growing up having to turn to others for what you should be giving him?" Victoria then walked abruptly out of the room saying she was going to relieve Silas, who was sitting with McColl.

The silence in the dining hall was deafening as Audra stood stunned beyond measure. A part of her wanted to say her mother had not right to talk to her that way; the other part was rather ashamed as she had to admit Victoria had spoken nothing but the truth. Slowly she turned and walked over to Georgia and took Adam Carl in her arms. "He looks a lot like his father." She spoke almost in a whisper. She then squared her shoulders and forced herself to put on a smile. "It you two will excuse me, I have things to do with my son." She turned and walked out of the room, determined to do as her mother had said….get a grip on herself. Though, she couldn't help but pause at the bottom of the stairs and sigh as she whispered, "Don't die, McColl, your lady needs you." She then took Adam Carl out in the yard and, for the first time in a very long time, did nothing but play with her son.

**~oOo~**

"There they are." Heath whispered to Nick and their *Hank Madden; Fred's nephew, had left the men they'd been riding with to keep an eye on the road as they'd made their way up a slight embankment. Now the three men were looking straight at the camp site that Kyle Jasper and his three friends were sitting around. They could see William sitting next to one of the men looking rather terrified. It made all three men's blood boil.

"We've got to get the other men and cause a diversion." Heath said as he looked around. "It's not like we can ambush them." They couldn't…the camp sat in a clearing where everything within three hundred yards could be seen.

"Maybe we won't have to." Hank shocked them as he turned and looked at them, a huge grin upon his face. It didn't take Nick but a split second to ask him what he had in mind.

Hank took a deep breath and explained what he had in mind and then said, "Think about it. That boy's never seen me. I mean, I've been away what with my cousin getting married and all. I only arrived home a couple of days ago."

While they were still a bit leery, Nick and Heath had to admit the idea was a good one. "Okay." Nick said as he and Heath turned and ran down the embankment with Hank right behind them. By the time Hank mounted his and started back up the embankment, Heath and Nick had left to go tell the others what was going on.

A/N *If they ever mentioned of Fred Madden's relatives on the show, I have never picked up on their names. I'm just making Hank up as far as I know.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Kyle and his friends turned their heads when they heard the sound of a horse approaching. All were shocked to a lone rider coming towards them. Automatically defensive, Kyle stood up and mentally got ready to draw his gun if he had to. However, he got the shock of his of life when Hank opened his mouth and started talking.

"I'm sorry to impose on you fellows, only I seem to have gotten lost." Hank kept a serious, and sincere, look upon his face as he spoke. "I was trying to get to Stockton, but I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way." He looked around him to emphasize the fact that he was indeed lost.

"I'd say you're lost." Kyle answered as he nodded in a easterly direction. "Stockton's a day away?"

Hank threw on a horrified look onto his face and exclaimed, "A day! If I push this horse hard, how long do you think it would take me?" He leaned forward his horse, the 'urgency' he was supposed to be feeling shone bright and clear. This reaction to his answer rose Kyle's curiosity level to an all time high.

"Why do you need to get there so badly? Someone dying?" Kyle asked as he folded his arms.

"No, but the sheriff there sent a telegram to my sister, said some friends of his by the name of Barkleys had found our nephew. She says the picture they sent confirms it." Hank paused to catch his breath as he was talking quite fast, hoping to keep up his act. He then said, "She then wired me and asked me to come and check it out. The thing is I have got to get him on a stagecoach back east if that is the case like yesterday! My sister is moving, and she's the one who will be taking care of him…I mean, since the sheriff said he was an orphan." Hank wasn't surprised by the looks of astonishment that showed upon the men's faces. However, before any of them could speak, William stood up.

William, who remembered his mother talking about her brothers, took a step forward and asked, "Which uncle are you? And how come you're not on a stagecoach or train?" Even as he asked the questions William knew he wouldn't be able to tell if the man was being straight with him or not. How could he? His mother had died when he was four and he only remembered the name of one uncle.

Hank smiled down at the boy, grateful his uncle, Sheriff Madden, had told him so much about the lad. 'So much' included everything thing that he, Fred Madden, had learned about the boy and his history before he, Hank, ever joined the posse. This being the case he was grateful he could lay claim to the name Henry…even if folks just called him Hank. From what his uncle had said, the boy's uncle's name was Henry. That was the main reason he figured he had a chance to pull this off.

"Henry, I'm your Uncle Henry Hopkins." Then, taking advantage of the news he'd received about stagecoach accident a few miles back, he added, "I was taking a stagecoach to Stockton only it broke down. I bought this horse and," he said as he again took advantage of all the time he'd been in the saddle and the fact that the horses hadn't had adequate rest before he'd made his way up the embankment, "as you can see, I've been riding this horse hard."

Kyle, who wasn't about to cheated out of any money he'd planned to get, pasted on a smile and said, "We were going to catch a train and bring him out to you, but we've been low on funds, so we've had to travel by horses."

It was all Hank could do not to show the disgust he felt towards the man at that moment. Still, for William's and the men who waited for him, Hank smiled wide and waved his hand through the air. "You won't have money problems for a long time. My father sent five thousand dollars for whoever succeeded in bringing my young nephew back to us to Stockton; it's in their bank."

Five thousand dollars? Kyle's jaw fell to the floor. Paul had mentioned fifteen hundred a few times, but never five thousand! He swore silently as he realized Paul had meant to cheat all the men who rode with him. Still, he forced his mind of Paul and said, "For reasons of my own, I don't care to step a foot into Stockton. Any chance you could just get a bank draft and bring it to me on the outskirts of the town?"

Hank chuckled as he held out his hand for William. "Fine with me only may the boy ride with me? I'd like to catch up with the tyke."

"Fine with me," Kyle took a hold of William's shoulder and pushed him toward Hank, thrilled he was going to get the money tons sooner than he'd ever planned on collecting it.

Again, it was all Hank could do to control himself. He hated seeing any adult pushing children around like that. He took a hold of William's hand when the boy reached up and then helped him up on to his horse, making sure the lad was sitting in front of him. Soon he, Hank, was leading the men away from the camp and towards the area he knew Nick and Heath, along with the other men, would be hiding.

Because Tyler and his men had their mind on the five thousand dollars Hank claimed to have for them, they were not paying as close as attention as they should have been. Due to this, they suspected nothing when, not ten minutes into their ride, Hank bent his head and lowered his voice. After all, the two had been talking since they left the clearing, and William wasn't exactly talking loud.

"We've got to stop for a bit." Hank said as he nodded to a couple of huge boulders off to his left. "Boy and I need to take a …mmm… bit of a break. William, you go up behind that huge boulder off to the right. Looks like I can use the one off to the left." He helped William down and then dismounted. "I don't suppose you men would look after my horse?" Hank looked at Tyler and his friends. He didn't really like leaving his horse with the crooks, only taking him along would look too suspicious, and he had to make sure William got to cover fast.

"Sure thing," Kyle took the reins from Hank and then watched as the man and William hurried up to the boulders. The whole time Kyle and his friends were grinning wide, sure they were about to become very rich. However, that notion was shattered the moment Hank and the boy disappeared behind the boulders. 'Out of nowhere' Nick, Heath, and the rest of the men made their presence known.

"Throw down your guns! You're under arrest for murder and kidnapping!" Nick, who had been temporarily deputized, shouted from behind the tree he was hiding. With that statement made, Kyle and his men threw out more than one cuss word, flew off their horses and scrambled for cover.

"Stay down!" Hank barked at William who looked as if he was going to look around the boulder he was behind when he heard the shooting begin. Hank was glad when the boy listened. Once he knew the boy wasn't moving Hank poked his head around the boulder. He could see the men who had been with Kyle lay on the ground dead. However, Kyle was still throwing lead at the men who were trying to take him in.

Hank might have stayed out of it, seeing how many men were already involved, only he saw Heath making his way towards Kyle. It wouldn't have been a problem but he could see that Kyle had a better line of fire that Heath must not have realized. This being the case before Kyle could pull his trigger, Hank pulled his. The moment he did that everyone in a ten mile radius heard Kyle curse Hank's name as he fell to the ground, dead.

"Heath!" William bolted from around the boulder and down to Heath, who was more than overjoyed the boy was alive and well. It didn't take long for him to scoop the young boy up into his arms and hug him.

"Come on you two." Nick smiled at William and Heath as the two mounted Charger and William rested his head against the blond haired cowboy's chest. "Let's get home." Since the other men with them were taking care of the dead men, Nick saw no reason for them to hang around, though he gave Heath a look that said 'While I'm thrilled at this outcome when it comes to William, let's hope we're not going home to McColl's funeral.'

Heath simply nodded and nudged Charger forward.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

The light was streaming in through the window as McColl slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times as he struggled to get his bearings. At first he was confused as he realized he was lying in a bed in the Barkley home and saw Victoria standing at the window looking out. Then it all came back to him…the men, their angry looks when he put himself between them and the boy. McColl tried to move and found an involuntary groan escaping his lips, one that reached out and grabbed Victoria. She whirled around and flew to his side once she realized he was indeed awake.

"DUKE!" The joy in her voice, along with the fact that she had actually called him by his first name reached down and wrapped itself around him, made surviving his ordeal more than worth it. "It's so good to see you finally awake." She laid her hand upon his shoulder and smiled down at him, not even attempting to hold back the tears of joy that came to the surface and flowed down her face. "You gave everyone quite the scare." She then sat down on the side of the bed and added softly, "you gave_ me_ quite the scare."

McColl smiled as he slid his hand over his chest to clasp her hand in his. He would have reached up and wiped away her tears, only he was too weak."I've got to find another way to get some excitement." His smile then disappeared as he grew serious. "They got the boy."

Victoria's smile grew ten times larger as she shook her head. "They_ had_ him; Nick and Heath, along with others, got him back days ago." She went onto tell him all that had happened while he was unconscious. "His aunt arrived in Stockton yesterday and had a pretty good visit with him. Unfortunately, she is battling some health issues that the doctors say will only grow worse in time. She fears William would only wind up alone again if she took him in." Victoria then said in disgust, "it seems like her brothers are saying their father wasn't in his right mind when he started looking for their sister and William. They want nothing to do with 'some cowboy's son'." The fact that Victoria was appalled by the attitude William's uncles had was something she did not try to hide.

As far as Duke McColl went, if he could have transported himself to Boston, he'd have shown those holier than art men a thing a two. As it was he asked, "Are Heath and Maria still talking about adopting him?"

Victoria nodded and then, due to the fact that she could see McColl was fighting to stay awake, leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and said, "We'll talk about everything later." She then whispered lovingly in his ear, "And I mean _everything_."

A satisfied smile made it way to McColl's face when he heard those words; he then closed his eyes and fell back to sleep, grateful he was still alive, William was safe, and that the woman he loved had been the first sight to meet his eyes. Once he was asleep Victoria slipped out of the bedroom and into the hall, shutting the door behind her as she did so.

** ~oOo~**

Audra was sitting on the living room floor playing with Adam when Victoria entered the living room. The sight made Victoria smile even more. Ever since she'd let her daughter have both barrels Audra had amazed everyone by doing just what her mother had told her to do. That is, she'd pulled herself together and was acting more and more like they woman she'd been before Carl's death…only a bit stronger than she'd been before.

"How's McColl?" Audra asked when she turned her head and saw her mother standing in the living room.

"He'll be fine." Victoria's face simply radiated happiness as she sat down in the chair closest to the living room entrance and gazed upon her daughter and grandson. She then clasped her hands together and said, "I'm going to marry him when he's fully recovered."

Audra started grinning from ear to ear as she stood up and made her way to her mother. As she hugged Victoria, Audra congratulated her and said, "I'd say it's about time. I haven't seen this type of happiness in your eyes forever."

Victoria thanked her and then said, "I'm going to tell McColl I don't want anything elaborate, just a simple ceremony with the family and a few friends. However," she looked at Audra, who had sat down in the only other chair in the room in order to allow Adam to climb up onto her lap, "I'd like you to be my maid of honor."

Audra's hand flew to her mouth. In all her wildest dreams she'd never dreamt she'd ever have such an honor. Then again, when she was younger her father was still alive. Later, after her father had died, her mother had never had anyone seriously court her. "Oh I'd be honored mother, but when are you thinking to get married? I mean, I promise Carl's parents that Adam and I would travel out to Colorado and help take of Grandmother Wheeler for a few months." Carl's grandmother wasn't doing well and could no longer be left alone, but she had begged the family to find someone who would be willing to move in with her instead of asking her to leave the only home she'd ever known.

Victoria, who knew all that, shook her head. "Don't worry. I'll make sure McColl and I decide on a date that will allow you to be here. I wouldn't get married without my only daughter here." She wouldn't either. She and Audra had always been close only the bond had grown even stronger after Carl had been killed, probably because they now shared more in common that either one cared too.

"Do the others know?"Audra asked as Adam slid off her lap and went back to playing by himself.

"They will the moment they come in from work." Victoria answered, and then began discussing some of the plans she had with Audra. It was this site that Heath and Maria found once they entered the home; they had up and eloped when they'd learned her Mr. Montero actually planned on making a trip out to California. The family knew Heath and Maria feared he might pull something to stop the marriage from taking place if they waited. That idea was only cemented in when the gentleman, upon learning of the elopement, had backed out of making the trip.

"It's about time" was repeated when Victoria told Heath and Maria what she planned on doing. She then left her daughter, step son and daughter in law to visit among themselves, saying she had to finish other things now since she didn't to worry about whether or not McColl was going to be staying with them or not.


	21. Chapter 21

**The next chapter (the last one which includes the epilogue) will have adult content in it. However, I have done my best to handle it with care.**

**Chapter Twenty One**

Audra sighed as she heard the music that was playing in the chapel float up the stairs and into the room her mother had used to dress. While McColl had said he saw no reason for Victoria not to wear white, he'd also told her he wouldn't argue with whatever she chose to wear. He'd whispered something else to Victoria. While the family didn't know exactly what they'd said, they could pretty well guess when Victoria shot him a playful glare and slapped his upper arm. Naturally, it had only served to make him and the family laugh.

Victoria now stood in front of the full length mirror and looked, turning from left to right. The full length dress was a winter white with a sheer organza over dress layered with three frilled hems. The skirt was not as full as the one Victoria wore years ago with its large hooped petticoat. Instead this dress formed the lines of the new fashion and fell from the waist with fullness coming from the petticoats she wore underneath. The entire dress was embodied with tiny roses, reminding Victoria of the many beautiful springs she had seen in her Valley, and the rows of roses she insisted she cultivate in her gardens. It also bought a smile to her face, finding the symbolism of a new spring about to enter her life ironic. The neck line was modest, forming a heart shape above her breast and complementing her still tiny waist and firm figure. The sleeves were fitting and framed with a frill matching the layers of her dress. At the elbow however the flared, like beautiful transparent and wispy bells that announced the occasion. .

Audra couldn't but smile wide as she looked upon the dress her mother was wearing. "You look beautiful mother. I'm so happy for you, really." Audra, who had traveled Colorado to California for the wedding, walked up to her mother and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Really, I am. Duke McColl is a wonderful man; I'm glad you're getting a second chance."

"I am too." Victoria said and then gave Audra a sympathetic smile. "I hope someday you will have one too."

Audra chuckled as it felt great to look at her mother and honestly say, "You know, mother. That's not as important to me as I once thought it was. I mean, I have Adam Carl and he's a wonderful child. I love Carl's grandmother and, from our visits to Aunt Clara, I know I like Colorado; I just might stay with Grandmother Wheeler longer than a few months. Or," she smiled wider, "I just might run all the way back here. It doesn't matter right now. " She gave her mother another hug just as Nick appeared in the doorway and let out a low whistle.

"McColl better know how lucky he is." Nick said as Audra excused herself and made her way down to the living room and to the guests.

"We both are." Victoria gave Nick a huge bear hug and stepped away, smiling up at her as she did so. "Thanks for giving him the push he needed."

Nick rubbed the back of his neck and then put his hand on his hip. However, before he could say anything, Jarrod stepped into the room. "Everyone's ready, though Mac's wondering where his best man is." Jarrod chuckled as he looked at Nick while he made the statement. That only served to get a chuckle from their mother while Nick threw a quick peck on her forehead and hurried out of the room.

"Well," Jarrod gazed at his mother, "you make a beautiful bride." He laid his hand upon her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I hope you know you always have a place to go if you should need it." Not that he though McColl would give her a reason to leave him.

"Of course, I do and," Victoria said as she continued radiating with happiness, "I want to thank you for dropping the hostile attitude towards Duke. It was rather unbecoming to you."

Jarrod nodded in agreement, "Never knew one could get caught up on past events so bad," he said remembering once more how he'd treated Duke McColl while Tom was away, "and not even know it.'

"I know. Now, let's stop talking about it." Victoria's eyes were simply beaming with joy as she took a hold of Jarrod's arm. "We need to get going. Duke and the others are waiting."

Jarrod couldn't help but chuckle. It had been ages since he saw his mother this excited. It felt good. He took her arm and led her out of the room, down the hall and to doorway that led to the chapel.

**~oOo~**

McColl and Nick, who were whispering stopped immediately, as Jarrod and his mother appeared. The music changed to the wedding march, and mother and son started walking down the aisle. At that moment, McColl was extremely grateful he had backed Victoria up on wearing the dress she'd chosen, even if the gossipy women at the dress shop had tried to say it was too fancy to wear for a second marriage. As far as he was concerned those women could go jump in a lake. Then again, that wouldn't be nice to the lake.

"We are gathered together…" McColl and Victoria barely heard Reverend Stacy speaking, though they did manage to repeat their vows without missing a beat. "…now pronounce you man and wife." The moment the reverend finished the music started playing again while McColl escorted his bride outside to the buggy that was waiting outside for them. As McColl helped Victoria up into the buggy the young children and many adults started throwing rice while shouting their congratulations.

As the buggy started down the road Victoria looked back and smiled. Jarrod stood with three year old Zebulon in his arms while Georgia, who could no longer hide the fact that she and Jarrod would soon be parents a second time around, sat in her wheelchair next to him. Heath and Marie stood close by with William in between them. While Nick, Eugene, Audra, and young Adam Carl stood near the steps leading up into the church; Audra had traveled out from Colorado for the wedding, but would be going back in a few weeks. All of them were waving at the newly married couple. Victoria smiled wide, waved back and then turned forward, linking her arm around her husband's. They were heading for the train that would carry them to the first of three destinations they planned on visiting during their honeymoon.

"They'll be all right." McColl turned his head for a quick moment and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "They all will."

Victoria let out a soft chuckle while her eyes showed that her mind, for a small moment, was going back into time. "I know." She gave his arm a squeeze. "It just, it seems like just yesterday they were all so young."

McColl started laughing, "I have news for you; they still are!" That earned him a playful slap, even if Victoria was laughing too.


	22. Chapter 22

**Cowboys and Ladies**

**This chapter contains adult content, though I have handled it with great care.**

**Chapter Twenty Two**

The night air, smelling so fresh and clean, and the sound of the waves hitting against the beach and rocks, felt so good to Victoria as she sat on some of the huge boulders embedded in the sands of Monterrey Beach. It was the first stop she and Duke McColl were making while on their honeymoon. As she turned, and watching her new husband as he made his way towards her; he gone back to the beach house to get some drinks for both of them, her mind wandered back to the day her late husband Tom had hired Duke on as a ranch hand.

_"Give him a chance, Torie." Tom laid his hands upon her shoulders. "I've talked to his former employer. The man only let him go due to his lack of funds, not because of McColl himself. I know he's got a few characteristics you don't care for, only he's a good man from what I hear. He'll grow on you; you'll see."_

Victoria couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle and smile. She wondered what she would have thought had someone told her that the day would come that her husband, Tom, would be gone and that McColl would grow on her. Yes, grow on her to the point that, while others called him McColl and Mac, she would actually switch to calling him Duke. Victoria also wondered what she'd have thought if someone had told her she and their foreman would actually wind up falling in love and getting married. Of course, the more she thought on it, the more she knew she'd have told them to shut up for the mere fact she still had Tom and wasn't looking for anyone else.

"Penny for your thoughts," McColl sat down next to Victoria and handed her a drink.

"Just wondering why I didn't see what was right in front of my eyes all these years." Victoria answered as she smiled at her new husband and took a sip of her drink.

McColl finished off his own refreshment and then sat the glass down upon the boulder they were sitting on. He couldn't help but start chuckling. "Maybe it's a good thing neither one of us did. I mean, I don't think I'd ever talked any sense into Jarrod if it weren't for the fact that Georgia had already done a good share of that." He answered, as he slid one arm around her shoulders while taking her glass, which was now also empty, away from her and sat it down.

"Maybe so, she does have a way of getting Jarrod to listen when he's shut his ears to everyone else." Victoria said as McColl began caressing her cheek.

"That she does," McColl's answer was barely audible as he found his way to her neck while he pulled her to him. With no one around, the sun had set hours ago and anyone who had been out on the beach had long since disappeared, all he wanted was to show Victoria yet another side of life she had not seen in years. "But let's not worry about Jarrod, Georgia or anyone else for that matter. Well, not right now anyway."

Victoria felt her heart skip a beat as McCall pulled her even closer to him and let his hands wander to places he'd never dreamt of going when he'd first met her. "Duke…" Victoria managed to speak even as small gasp escaped her lips, "we're outside."

"It's almost ten thirty." McColl said as he slid off the boulder taking her with him, "We're surrounded by boulders; no one can see us." He whispered as he laid her down on the ground. "I've waited for this for a long time. What about you?" He asked as he covered her mouth and slid his tongue inside while his hands found their way inside her blouse and then continued their explorations.

_"What is it about cowboys and ladies?"_ William's innocent question, the one Victoria had overheard him ask Silas shortly after William had been brought to the house rang in her ears as McColl began removing each and every one piece of clothing they had on, allowing her to do her own explorations as well. Needless to say, their actions continued to add fuel to the fire now raging inside of her, a fire she had thought for sure would never see the light of day after Tom had died. Any thought of trying to come up with an answer totally disappeared when Victoria found herself completely engulfed by the fire and crying out McColl's name just before the two of them began the process of becoming one…something that would be repeated more than once by the time their honeymoon was over and they were back on the ranch.

**Epilogue**

Victoria was simply beaming with happiness as she watched one member after another arriving at the home she now shared with Duke McColl, with the exception of Gene who'd had the opportunity of a life time and went to Europe to study under the famous Louis Pasteur for a year. The noise in the yard was more than welcome. The family was gathering together to welcome Jarrod and Georgia's second child, Thomas Nicholas Barkley into the world. For Victoria, the event was even more special as Audra and Adam Carl had returned to California after Grandmother Wheeler had passed away. _"I couldn't stay away; I applied for the teaching job that became available there in Stockton, and they have hired me."_ Those words, written the month before, along with the fact that Hank Madden was now starting to see Audra as more than a friend, brought as much joy to Victoria as did her new grandson. Of course, Victoria was sure he never would have started looking Audra's way had her daughter not, somewhere along the line, found her spunk once more. Along with that, she had been thrilled to learn that Heath and Marie were not only parents to William, but expecting twins as well.

"Mother?" Nick walked up the steps leading to the home his mother now lived in. "Everything okay?" He had seen the faraway look in Victoria's eyes and read it wrong.

Victoria smiled as she watched her husband take Thomas from his father and then turned her attention to Nick. She couldn't help but smile as she could see Jenny Hollister talking to Audra and Hank standing roughly fifty yard behind her middle son. The very talented dressmaker had returned to Stockton after Nick, who had, with Eugene's help, finally realized what a gem he had let slip through his hands, had hopped a train and gone after her. The two were now seriously courting each other. "I've never been better." Victoria answered as a smile that reached from one end of California to the other spread over her face.


End file.
